This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/17/new-jersey-boardwalk-fire-electrical-accident

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
New Jersey boardwalk fire caused by electrical problem – source New Jersey boardwalk fire caused by electrical problem – source
(about 1 hour later)
Last week's massive boardwalk fire in New Jersey began accidentally as the result of an electrical problem, an official briefed on the investigation said on Tuesday. The massive fire that destroyed part of a Jersey shore boardwalk and scores of businesses began accidentally by wiring damaged in Superstorm Sandy, and should prompt coastal property owners to inspect their own wiring for similar danger, authorities said Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because the person was not authorized to speak ahead of a 2pm news conference at which investigators were to discuss their inquiry. The boardwalk fire in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights began accidentally Thursday in aged wiring that had been compromised by saltwater and sand during the 29 October storm, federal and county investigators said at a news conference. The wind-whipped blaze destroyed more than 50 businesses in the two towns.
Last Thursday, the fire started near a frozen custard stand in Seaside Park, and quickly spread north into neighboring Seaside Heights. More than 50 businesses in the two towns were destroyed. The blaze wrecked portions of the boardwalk that had only just recently been repaired from damage sustained in Superstorm Sandy. The ruined businesses included pizza shops, wheel-of-chance games and a seafood restaurant whose Facebook page on Friday read simply "R.I.P." Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said the fire should be a cautionary tale.
Also damaged were french fry stands, a fudge shop and bars, including one where Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was punched in the face during filming of the first season of MTV's Jersey Shore. Another bar, wrecked by Sandy, had not had the chance to reopen before being engulfed by flames. The Funtown amusement pier was so badly damaged by Sandy that it could not reopen this summer. It burned, too, its Funtown Pier sign collapsing in a hail of flames and sparks. "I'm sure on every boardwalk everywhere [at the Jersey shore], there may be compromised wiring," he said. "We don't want to start a panic mode; we just want to be reasonable. If you're a property owner and you think your electrical work came in contact with water and sand, we strongly recommend you have it inspected."
Whipped by 20- to 30mph winds, the flames raced northward despite the efforts of 400 firefighters. It was only by destroying part of the five-month-old rebuilt boardwalk, on which Seaside Heights had just spent $8m, that the rest of the walkway was saved. Public works crews ripped out a 25ft swathe of boardwalk to serve as a makeshift fire break, depriving the blaze of fuel. They then filled the void with giant sand piles makeshift dunes to hold back fire, not water. The plan worked and stopped the fire from burning the rest of the boardwalk. Seaside Heights officials did not immediately return a message seeking comment about the status of wiring in the surviving two-thirds of the boardwalk.
Governor Chris Christie's administration has decided the state will use Sandy-recovery money to pay for debris removal. He also pledged $15m in Sandy money to help rebuild the burned businesses. Investigators said the fire began in wiring that dated to the 1970s, and was located under a Kohr's frozen custard stand and the Biscayne Candies shop last Thursday afternoon.
Jessica Gotthold, a senior special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said investigators located wires under the boardwalk that somehow came in contact with each other, causing an electrical arc that is believed to have started the fire. Coronato said those wires had been exposed to the storm surge and grating sand action of the storm, which compromised them.
But as far as why the wires contacted each other, he said, "we will never know."
The prosecutor said the investigation ruled out all other possible causes of the fire, including careless smoking or a deliberate act of arson. The wiring was inaccessible to the public, he noted.
Authorities even pulled financial records of the businesses involved in the fire to make sure no one had a financial motive to start a fire.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.