Ocean Grove, Friday, Feb 6, 2015 © Fred Ohleth.
By Yvette Blackman, Blogfinger contributing writer
White plumes of smoke rose above the Village Kloset Friday afternoon, three hours after a fast-moving fire that started in an apartment above the small store quickly spread to several other apartments in the building, authorities said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries and witnesses said three dogs were rescued from the building.
The fire, which started shortly after 3 p.m., left four businesses and five apartments with smoke and heat damage, in addition to the attic of a house on neighboring Heck Avenue, said Michael Bascom, Emergency Management Coordinator for Neptune Township.
The roof of the three-story building housing the Village Kloset collapsed, Bascom said, but the fire was largely contained to the building housing the women’s clothing and accessories store.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Temperatures that dipped just below freezing made the firefighters’ job a difficult one.
“We have a lot of old structures close to each other,” Bascom said. “Roads are frozen, the water is frozen, and firefighters are dealing with cold temperatures.”
An elderly man who lived two floors above the Village Kloset at No. 50 Main was taking shelter at the Youth Temple, waiting for the Red Cross.
“I saw the fire coming up from the apartment underneath me, and the smoke alarm went off,” said the man, who asked not to be identified. “I’m homeless now.”
Yvonne Paradiso, owner of Yvonne’s Café, appeared devastated as she stood across the street watching firefighters turn their hoses on the building she had spent the last couple years renovating. The café, which is open year-round with about eight employees, last year added outdoor heat lamps to encourage the late summer crowds to linger into the cool evenings.
“It took a really long time to get this done,” she said, her voice cracking as her eyes glistened with tears.