by Mary Walton and Charles Layton

Former neghbors Marc Marini, owner of 23 Ocean Pathway, and the Manchester’s Margaret Cate. Photo by Mary Walton

Manchester owner Margaret Cate and Marc Marini of 23 Ocean Pathway. Photo by Mary Walton

Marc Marini, of 23 Ocean Pathway, was awakened on Saturday morning by what seemed to be daylight coming through his bedroom window. At first he thought he had overslept. Then he looked at his clock and it said 5:01 a.m. That’s when he realized that the light was coming from the Manchester Inn next door, and that it was flames.

Marc called 911. Dave Shotwell, the Ocean Grove fire chief, said the first fire trucks were dispatched at 5:06. Eventually, he said, as the seriousness of the situation became clear, 19 fire companies were assigned and “probably over 200 fire fighters.”

Meanwhile, Marc Marini hustled his wife and three children out of bed, and also some house guests. By 5:15 they were all out of the house, barefoot and bedraggled in a cold morning rain. The Manchester was rapidly being engulfed in flames, but their house was still untouched. Twenty minutes later, the Marinis’ house was gone.

The Manchester was vacant when the fire broke out. The owners, Clark and Margaret Cate, live elsewhere in Ocean Grove. Their daughter, Anna, occupied an apartment in the historic old hotel, but on Friday morning she and Margaret had left for Cambridge, Mass., where Clark’s sister was fatally ill. It is possible that this set of events saved Anna’s  life.

Clark’s sister passed away on Friday, and on Saturday, after getting news about the fire, the family returned to Ocean Grove, driving through a blustery rain storm. Margaret said they immediately met with the Monmouth County fire marshall’s office, which is investigating the cause of the fire.

“We lost our business,” Margaret said on Sunday morning, “but the people I really feel sorry for are the ones who lost their homes.”

By Sunday morning, a measure of calm had returned to Ocean Pathway. The scene of the devastation drew curiosity seekers, dog walkers and some of the neighbors and friends who had lost their properties. Margaret Cates and Marc Marini were among these. They exchanged stories while watching a giant shovel pile up debris for removal.

According to Neptune Township officials, six houses were destroyed in the vicinity of the Manchester Inn. But several other structures sustained serious damage from water and smoke. One of these was the Sandpiper Guest House, owned by Jan and Bill Knight. Firemen punched a large hole in its roof so they could string a hose inside and water the place down. The Sandpiper was filled with treasured antiques. The Knights were in Florida this weekend. They couldn’t get a flight out, their daughter Emily said, so they are driving back now.

One of the lucky ones gathered on the street Sunday morning was Ingrid Heldt, whose home is on Bath Avenue. The houses to the east of hers were destroyed, but her house survived. She said she thinks the asbestos siding was what saved it and stopped the fire from spreading even farther along Bath Avenue.

“Before I even finished getting dressed,” she said, “I heard knocks on my door…the police saying we had to leave. We didn’t know what to do, we just had to stand around and see if we would be next, and it looked like we would. I would have been heartbroken if it had burned down.”

Those who did lose their homes mostly stayed with friends and relatives on Saturday night, although the Red Cross was providing vouchers for people to stay in hotels for four nights. Marc Marini said there had been an outpouring of aid, including food and clothing from the Catholic school his children attend, Saint Rose’s High School. The school also contributed two laptop computers, he said.

The Marinis basically escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Marc got a minor break; his wife had forgotten to go to the cleaners, so Marc still owns two suits and three shirts. Marc was also the only member of his family who had shoes on Saturday. As others were fleeing the house, Marc ran back upstairs to retrieve his wife’s contact lenses, and along the way he scooped up a pair of shoes.

Giant shovel piles up debris for later removal. Photo by Mary Walton