WILDWOOD – An intense fire producing thick, black smoke started in a backyard shed and spread quickly to surrounding homes, before being extinguished, according to Wildwood Fire Chief Ernie Troiano III.
No one was in any of the homes April 30 when firefighters arrived on scene and first responders sustained no injuries, Troiano said in an interview. He said he called a second alarm when he arrived at the 3200 block of Park Boulevard.
The afternoon fire appeared accidental and began in a detached shed in the backyard of 245 W. Wildwood Avenue and spread to surrounding homes at 3205, 3207 and 3209 Park Boulevard, Troiano said.
The shed’s contents were highly flammable, and purportedly included gas cans and acetylene tanks, causing small explosions and intense flames, according to the fire chief.
Eyewitness videos posted to Facebook show the harrowing moments before firefighters arrived on scene and it was unclear to bystanders if anyone was trapped inside the involved homes.
“Come on, hurry up! Get up! There’s a fire outside,” a woman can be heard shouting in one video shot from an adjacent residence, posted to Facebook by Steve Mikulski, the Wildwood commissioner who oversees public safety.
Troiano said he was with his triplets, who are seniors in High School, preparing for their prom when he got the call and raced to the scene. He praised the department’s response and thanked mutual aid companies.
“I could not be more proud of our guys,” Troiano said. “They were super quick, moved with a purpose. They know what they’re doing; they’re very good at their job. All the companies that were on location are phenomenal. A very quick response combined with a very aggressive attack prevented major fire damage to these buildings.”
“Training, quick thinking and brave actions embody our first responders. They think it’s just part of their job. We think it’s a lot more. Thank you to each and everyone of you on the front lines today,” Mayor Peter Byron said in a Facebook post.
Mikulski said high winds aided the fire’s spread.
Damage to at least three residences appeared devastating in photos from the scene. Troiano said it is unclear how many, if any, of the involved properties will have to be demolished.
“I don’t know if they’re going to be total losses, but they suffered significant damage, between fire damage on the upper floors, where it burned up into the soffits, and got into the attic area, and water damage, from the extinguishment process. I don’t know if they’re necessarily tear downs, but there’s some extensive work that probably has to go into them,” Troiano said.
Beyond acknowledging that it appeared accidental, Troiano said he couldn’t comment on the cause and referred questions to the county fire marshal’s office. The fire marshal did not immediately respond to an email inquiring into the investigation.
Multiple agencies assisted extinguishing the two alarm fire.
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