Fire destroys three homes in Sea Isle City

Three homes were destroyed by a fire that broke out near the beachfront of a Jersey Shore community Friday afternoon.

Authorities say no injuries have been reported in the smoky fire, which erupted around 4:30 p.m. Friday in Sea Isle City and sent large clouds of black smoke spewing across the region. It was brought under control about two hours later.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Multiple fire companies battled the blaze, but it wasn’t clear if any of the homes were occupied at the time the blaze broke out. Officials say other nearby residences sustained minor damage due to the fire, but the blaze was not expected to consume any other residences.

Authorities say windy conditions hampered the firefighting efforts.