Dog lost, firefighter injured in Ocean Grove blaze

In this community of closely-situated wooden Victorian homes, there is one word that strikes fear in the hearts of many residents: fire.

As temperatures hovered in the 20s on Friday, a three-alarm blaze struck at the heart of Ocean Grove's downtown, damaging several businesses but luckily leaving no residents injured.

"Given the circumstances, I think we can consider ourselves very lucky that things were not worse," Township Committeeman Randy Bishop said.

The fire began at approximately 3:30 p.m. in an upper-floor apartment in the Main Avenue building, Monmouth County Fire Marshal Henry A. Stryker, III said. The cause is still undetermined, he said.

One firefighter had a injury to a knee that is not considered life threatening, said Lt. Tina Duda of the Ocean Grove First Aid Squad. A dog from an upper-floor apartment was unaccounted for, she added.

Businesses impacted by the blaze include the Smuggler's Cove, Yvonne's Cafe, Village Plaza and the Barbaric Bean Coffee Roasters, Bishop said.

The fire spread to an adjacent building on Heck Avenue, but the damages there appeared to not be as severe, said Michael Bascom, Neptune Township's's Office of Emergency Management coordinator.

Some time after 6 p.m., Bascom said the fire was under control.

Residents often hold their breaths when they hear a fire siren, as many of the quaint structures were contructed with wood and are stacked up against each other, Bishop said.

"This was a really bad day for a fire," said Bishop, as icicles dangled from power lines in the street and the visible breaths of firefighters were whipped by the wind.

Firefighters used so much water to fight the blaze that they have had to run a line into nearby Fletcher Lake, as the hydrants in the neighborhood were not providing sufficient water and pressure, Stryker said.

About 10 fire departments from throughout the county responded to the blaze, Stryker said.

"It has been a truly incredible outpouring of support from our neighboring communities," Bishop said. "It has been a massive response."