New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vowed that the state will rebuild after a massive fire engulfed the iconic Jersey shore boardwalk on Thursday, just after it was reconstructed, repairing damage from superstorm Sandy.
The blaze erupted at a frozen custard shop, damaging nearly two dozen businesses and destroying portions of the Seaside Park and Seaside Heights boardwalk. At a news conference Friday, Christie announced that the fire is now 95 percent contained.
"We have endured and begun to come back from the devastation of Sandy. We will not let these fires destroy those efforts," said the governor, according to USA Today. "The state of New Jersey will stand with the local governments and the business owners to restart the rebuilding as soon as possible."
Christie said the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be joining the investigation into the cause, but the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office would continue to be the lead investigative agency.
However, he emphasized the cause of the fire remains unknown and it was premature to speculate what happened.
"The folks on the ground are working side-by-side with the fire investigation team, to ensure that evidence is preserved," said Christie. "To that point, I know there are a lot of questions about how this fire started. We don't know yet and it would be irresponsible for us to speculate."
There were no serious injuries reported Thursday, although Christie said three first responders were hurt Friday when they fell out of a high vehicle and sustained head injuries.
The State Police Arson Bomb Unit, the New Jersey State Fire Marshal and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office are all also involved in the investigation, Christie said.
According to ABC News, sources say that investigators are suspicious of the fire's origin because it was a mid-day fire with no bad weather to speak of, there were no injuries, the structure burned after the summer season, there was no obvious cause, and a huge number of firefighters were not around Thursday due to the annual New Jersey Firemen's Convention.
"The investigation will likely take days, at which point the scene can then be turned over to the property owners," Christie said.
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