A four-alarm blaze ravaged the arcade at a historic amusement park on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ Saturday.
The fire started around 7:40 a.m. at Playland’s Castaway Cove, billed as the area’s “oldest amusement park.”
It took eight fire companies braving sub-freezing temperatures over two hours to get under control, according to Deputy Fire Chief Charles Bowman and Fox29.
At one point, the raging flames — which officials said also damaged offices for Dairy Queen and the Hamburger Construction Company restaurant — shot through Playland’s roof.
It wasn’t yet clear how the fire started, said Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland.
Hartley said he hadn’t been able to assess the damage yet, but it appeared the historic building that house the offices and arcade was destroyed.
The building was part of the 1940 World’s Fair in Queens, and was taken apart and rebuilt on the boardwalk in 1941. It housed new and classic games, including an old shooting gallery. “We have to assess what can be salvaged and what cannot,” Hartley said.
There were no fire-related injuries, Bowman said.
Playland’s Castaway Cove vowed to return for the 2021 season., posting a promise on its Facebook page that it “will be open sooner rather than later!“
Hartley said the arcade was scheduled to open in about nine weeks, on Palm Sunday.
It’s too early to tell if the fire will delay the opening, he said. “We’ve got to rebuild our office somehow, somewhere,” he said. “It’s going to be a daunting task.”
But he said the park “will definitely be open in the spring.”
Credit: NY Post
Prayers
I’ll say it, sounds like arson! I can see the condos now. Sucks
2 major Multiples in different parts of the state Passaic with an 11 bell job and OC with a boardwalk job, picture of the Passaic Multiple
Special lightening!
Freddy Pantso is that what it’s called these days ?
Sounds like fools Lightning to me
Is this the same place that was in 8 million $ debt?