It could be a while before Manasquan Officials can determine what caused the early morning fire that completely destroyed several homes and damaged others, but for residents still recovering after Sandy it becomes another worry to add to their list of concerns.

Fire on First Avenue in Manasquan
Fire on First Avenue in Manasquan (Facebook)
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The blaze completely destroyed two homes, severely damaged two more, and inflicted minor damage to three other properties.

Borough Fire Chief Michael Galos says it'll be difficult to figure out the cause and source of the blaze, mainly because the fire damage was so severe. He attributes post-Sandy renovation in one of the homes, 290 1st Avenue, for the spread of the flames.

"When it did catch fire it went very quick because there was no sheet-rock inside the house to slow down the fire spread."

They're still not certain if that home was the fire's source.

"There's so much damage here we don't have a lot left to work with. So it's going to be difficult for them to sift through everything, find a point of origin, find a cause, and go from there."

Galos says all the homes in the area had electricity and the gas was turned back on. Luckily, there were no deaths or causalities as the homes were primarily all summer rentals, four of which belonged to one owner.

However, the small community does house a few year round residents, and for them the fire is added stress after making it through the Hurricane.

"You had to come in and you had to get four feet of water out of your house, then you had to have contractors come in, then you had to wait for all of the utility companies to get you back online, and then you have this happen." Says one resident.

Galos says they won't be setting up any kind of fire patrol, because they believe the situation is under control and because they are an all volunteer department and the area is too big for a watch.

"The town along with the Fire Department , code enforcement, and office of emergency, have taken many steps to secure the area and make sure there isn't a hazard. We need a little help from the residents to make sure their property is secure as well as their contractors."

 

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