Watch CBS News

Fire Rips Through 3 Buildings In Keyport, New Jersey; 6 Firefighters Injured

KEYPORT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A fire tore through three buildings in downtown Keyport, New Jersey Friday afternoon.

The fire broke out around 4 p.m. in a building on West Front Street in the Monmouth County municipality, officials told CBS2.

The fire spread to a total of three buildings, which housed five businesses -- among them a tax office -- and an unknown number of apartments, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.

The tall flames and thick smoke robbed the town of landmarks.

"We see the fire spread to the back of the building, and it was just getting bigger and bigger," said Skye Blanks, who lives with his family across the street from the scene.

A crowd gathered to watch, and cellphone cameras were on and recording when a big section of wall came down.

"This whole building came down in probably about two hours," said David Austin of Keyport.

"And all of a sudden, we hear a crack, and the whole front of it falls down," Blanks said. "I think, like, a couple of firemen got caught under it too."

Fire departments from multiple towns were dispatched to the scene.

Six firefighters were injured in the blaze, officials said. All were expected to survive.

Following the fire, power was cut off to much of downtown Keyport. Meanwhile, a gas leak forced fire fighters to evacuate even more people from the area.

After dark, flames were still visible, and the decision was made to demolish what was left of the burning structures to smother the flames once and for all.

Only then could the search for the cause begin.

"Unfortunately for Keyport, all these buildings are historic – they're all over a hundred years old," Austin said.

"The town's only a mile by mile and a half," said Walter Serafin of Keyport. "And it's just traumatic."

The evacuees may have a hard time recognizing the area when they return.

"It's horrible to see businesses go down," said Rosanna Mea of Keyport.

One theory about the cause came from neighbors, who said they saw construction workers on the top of the building that caught fire first. But fire investigators will have to examine the remains to come to a final conclusion.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.