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.
The ATF is one of several agencies investigating weekend fires at the Playland Castaway Cove in Ocean City and a recycling plant in Passaic.
Rides at the park were spared in Saturday morning s fire but the fire damaged the park s huge ship and parrot and three business offices. The fire also tore through Hamburger Construction Co., Dairy Queen and BrumeJuice, according to Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland Castaway Cove.
The ATF s involvement is not unusual for large fires, according to ATF spokesman Dylan Wiggins, who said a team was also deployed to Friday night s fire at the Atlantic Coast Fiber plant in Passaic.
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6ABC reports that five agencies are now involved in the investigation, including the Ocean City Fire Department Investigation Unit, Cape May County Fire Marshal’s Office, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office and the ATF.
The reason given for the inclusion of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team in the investigation is because of the size of the estimated loss.
Playland s Castaway Cove says it was storing some ride parts in the arcade building for the winter. No one was inside when the fire started, and the city says no one was hurt.