Ocean City Boardwalk Fire :Playland s Castaway Cove to demolish arcade damaged blaze 6abc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 6abc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Officials said an electrical source sparked the blaze at Playland s Castaway Cove on January 30.
The arcade, offices, and the famous pirate ship on the roof were damaged, but fortunately, many of the rides were untouched.
Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland s Castaway Cove, tells Action News that patrons can expect about 20 rides to be operational in the coming weeks. We have 32 total rides, and I would say for the opening weekend we ll probably have approximately 20. And hopefully Easter weekend, 22 to 23 rides, said Hartley.
There will be a separate entrance until the demolition is complete.
Patrons will enter in the middle of the block between 10th and 11th Street near what the amusement park calls its back ticket booth. A boardwalk entryway will be built hopefully by the summer.
Playland fire on Ocean City boardwalk called accidental
The fire at the Playland Castaway Cove on the Ocean City boardwalk was ruled to have started accidentally, according to the preliminary findings.
The fire on the morning of Jan. 30 damaged the offices of the Hamburger Construction Co. restaurant, a Dairy Queen and a BrumeJuice, according to Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland Castaway Cove. Hartley said rides were spared but the park s trademark pirate ship and parrot were also damaged.
The fire started at an undetermined electrical source near the front of the building, according to a statement issued by Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen. The investigators were able to use a pattern of fire alarms, eyewitness accounts, photos and videos, a detailed excavation of the site and examination of forensic evidence to determine the cause and area of origin for the fire and conclusively rule out other possible causes.
N.J. boardwalk amusement park blaze was accidental, officials say
Updated Feb 08, 2021;
Facebook Share
The Jan. 30 blaze burned through the arcade and offices at the outdoor amusement park, along with Hamburger Construction Company and Dairy Queen, sending smoke visible from as far out as Atlantic City. Scores of firefighters and area emergency crews responded to the wind-fueled fire. There were no injuries and the buildings were not occupied at the time, officials have said.
Investigators found the inferno was caused by “an undetermined electrical source” near the front of the Playland’s Castaway Cove building, according to Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen.
Updated on February 8, 2021 at 4:38 pm
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
On Jan. 30, a four-alarm fire destroyed the building that housed an arcade and offices at Playland’s Castaway Cove on the Ocean City Boardwalk. The blaze also destroyed a juice bar, a Dairy Queen and Hamburger Construction Company business. No one was inside at the time and no injuries were reported.
Download our mobile app for iOS
to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
Investigators, including the ATF and Ocean City Fire Department, later revealed the incident was an accidental fire from an undetermined electrical source near the front of the building.