Fire destroys five boats at New Jersey marina
A wind-whipped fire destroyed five boats and damaged two others early Thursday at a marina near Barnegat Bay, N.J.
No one was injured in the 1:30 a.m. fire at the Ocean Beach Marine Centers, and the cause of the blaze remained under investigation. But firefighters said a stiff south wind actually spared several
other boats nearby by blowing the flames away from them, according to a report in The Press of Atlantic City.
A boater at the scene estimated damage at $500,000 to $1 million, although no official estimates were immediately available.
Four of the five boats that were destroyed burned to the ground, leaving only their metal railings and anchors lying on the ground. A fifth had been propped up on cinder blocks and had a partial hull remaining.
A large luxury boat next to the fire had some damage from heat, as did a smaller one parked nearby.
