FEBRUARY
15, 2015
AVALON, NEW
JERSEY
A fire
broke out in an Avalon home under construction late Thursday night and spread
to an adjoining home on Fifth Avenue before firefighters brought it under
control early this morning, Avalon officials said.
Both homes
were unoccupied and there were no injuries. The fire started at a home at 4718
Fifth Ave.
This
morning gigantic icicles hung from the two destroyed buildings, revealing an
eerie snow-globe-like scene in the charred wreckage.
Avalon
firefighters arrived on the scene about 11 p.m. Thursday and found the home
ablaze. The fire then spread to an existing home next door.
Firefighters
remained on the scene this morning to put out hot spots. The frigid temperature
and powerful winds complicated the efforts.
Sustained
30 mile-per-hour winds fanned the flames and sent softball-sized embers
floating across the street, Avalon officials said.
The Avalon
Volunteer Fire Department got access to nearby homes to prevent the further
spread of fire. Two firefighters were treated at the scene for exposure to the
cold.
No cause of
the fire has yet been determined.
More than a
dozen local fire companies and emergency units from Cape May County assisted.
Fire departments from Anglesea, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Sea Isle City,
Stone Harbor, Marmora, Seaville, Erma, Cape May Court House, Ocean View,
Dennisville, Rio Grande and Goshen assisted.