Condo fire called an "accident"
Investigators: Electrical light fixture might have been source
By ED JOHNSON STAFF WRITER December 7, 2007
ASBURY PARK The fire that destroyed the Shore Condominium
apartments at 406 Seventh Ave. has been ruled an accident,
investigators said Thursday.
Investigators from both the city and the Monmouth County Fire
Marshal's Office believe an "energized electrical light fixture,"
similar to a deck light, on the second floor in the rear of the
building may have been the source of the fire, Asbury Park Fire
Inspector Garrett M. Giberson said.
"We're also looking at a couple of other possibilities," he said.
If the light fixture is determined to be the cause, it would match
accounts given Wednesday by the building's nine tenants, who
reported seeing flames shooting from the rear of the building and
especially heavy fire on the second floor of the three-story wood-
frame structure.
Two of those residents leaped from the second-floor window to an
outside staircase as the fire intensified. All of the tenants
escaped unscathed. The only injury was to a firefighter, who was
treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and
released, officials said.
The rear of the building sustained the most extensive damage,
fueling flames that shot through the building and also destroyed its
roof.
The building has been determined to be unsafe and will have to be
torn down, Giberson said.
Four of its nine residents have been placed in area hotels by the
Red Cross, the remaining five have moved in with friends or
relatives, the Red Cross said. The fire victims were also given
emergency funds for food and clothing by the Red Cross, officials
said.
The Shore Condominium residents had only moved into their apartments
in August. The renovated building had been intended for sale as
condominiums, said Robert McDonald, who had been commissioned to
sell the units. A sign in front of the building listed the asking
price as $169,000 per unit.
City tax records show the property was bought by Rave Property LLC
of Asbury Park on April 29, 2005, for $875,000. Rod Siberine is an
owner. He could not be reached for comment.
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