Sea Bright firefighters on the scene of a vacant-house fire at the Carriage House Marina. (Click to enlarge)
A portion of Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright was closed to traffic at midday as firefighters attacked their second blaze of the day Thursday.
A fire at a vacant house on the property of Carriage House Marina, at 1202 Ocean Avenue, was quickly doused following a noontime alarm, said Councilman Read Murphy, a member of the volunteer fire squad.
The house had electrical work done just a week ago, said marina owner Lance Cunningham.
Murphy said the fire, which was brought under control in about 20 minutes, was likely caused by wire chafing or faulty electrical work. It’s under investigation.
At about 1:30 a.m., firefighters quickly doused an interior blaze at a vacant warehouse at 6 River Street. Rumson Fire Chief James Fenn, whose company was among those from nearby towns that responded, said the fire was started by a power line downed by strong, storm-driven winds. The structure was already slated for demolition next week.
Wednesday’s storm left several inches of beach sand on Ocean Avenue, wiping out the gains of a recent beach replenishment project, said Murphy. No significant structural damage was reported, he said.