Fire destroys N.J. beachfront houses

An early Thursday morning fire destroyed two beachfront houses and damaged a third in Ocean City, authorities say.

Photo courtesy of the Ocean City Firefighters Association.

Photo courtesy of the Ocean City Firefighters Association.

An early Thursday morning fire destroyed two beachfront houses and damaged a third in Ocean City, authorities say.

The fire broke out around 3:20 a.m. on the 4800 block of Central Avenue in the Cape May County municipality, according to an Ocean City Fire Department news release.

Officials say firefighters responding to multiple 9-1-1 calls discovered an intense blaze on the third floor of a duplex that had spread to the adjacent residential structures.

Crews from the surrounding area worked to contain the fire from spreading to additional buildings and quickly brought it under control.

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None of the homes were occupied when the fire sparked, according to authorities.

There were no injuries. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

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