An early morning fire soon after midnight on Atlantic Avenue (aka A Street) in Seaview, just a few houses from the bay side, was strong and grew rapidly – so much so that a glowing orange reflection was visible on the nearby Ocean Beach water tower according to witnesses.
The Ocean Beach Fire Department, which is contracted for fire protection services for the east side neighboring community, was mobilized on Aug. 13, at 12:35 a.m. They were soon joined by Fair Harbor, Ocean Bay Park and Point O’Woods fire departments, who lent mutual aid.
The structure became completely engulfed and firefighters were on the scene for several hours, getting the blaze under control by 3:30 a.m. By then, the property known as 7 Atlantic Ave. was uninhabitable, but not immediately deemed a total loss. That would change on Sunday, Aug. 14, as rekindling incidents prompted the need to raze the structure with a bulldozer.
The neighboring address of number 5 Atlantic Ave. also incurred damage on the south side of the house structure. Both summer homes were rental properties and all tenants made it out safely, with no firefighters injured at the scene.
Photo by George Hesse
“I’m still in shock,” said Nancy Hall, who lives adjacent to the affected properties. “It was very scary. The flames were lapping at my bedroom window. My main takeaway is that my house is still here. The first responders – I can’t say enough.”
At publishing time, the cause of the fire still remains under investigation.
