Sandy Blamed for Boardwalk Fire at the New Jersey Shore

摘要

Ocean County, N.J., investigators say that faulty electrical wiring caused the wind-swept fire that destroyed more than 50 businesses along the Jersey Shore's iconic boardwalk on Sept. 12. Corrosive saltwater and sand from Superstorm Sandy, which destroyed the same boardwalk 11 months ago, "defected" the wiring, which was in a "totally inaccessible" area of the boardwalk, investigators note. Joseph D. Coronato, Ocean County prosecutor, announced the findings on Sept. 17 and said the blaze, which originated in Seaside Park and spread several blocks to Seaside Heights, was accidental. After 40 "exhaustive" hours of examining the fire scene, a team of 27 investigators is "confident and in complete consensus that the failure of energized electrical equipment and wiring located under the boardwalk and subfloors of the original structures were compromised by Sandy flood-waters and contributed to the fire," Coronato said.