Fire guts 4 New Jersey homes, damages 3 others; 2 injured

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A fast-moving fire gutted four homes and damaged three other structures in a historic New Jersey shore community.

Flames broke out just after 5 a.m. Friday in a vacant hotel in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township, where homes are close together.

Police Capt. Michael McGhee says it could have been worse as firefighters from 11 communities worked to contain the flames. Two firefighters sustained injuries. There was no immediate word on the extent of their injuries.

Flames and embers spread to the upper floors of the La Pierre condominium, across from Asbury Park. Two other structures were also damaged.

McGhee says everyone is accounted for. The cause is under investigation.

Ocean Grove was formed as a religious community in 1869. The community claims the largest number of Victorian architecture in the nation.