MONMOUTH BEACH, NJ – A pre-dawn fire inside a 12-story oceanfront condominium sent multiple fire departments racing to Ocean Avenue Monday morning, where crews quickly contained the blaze before it spread beyond a single apartment.
The Monmouth County Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call just before 6:30 a.m. reporting flames inside a unit at the Shore Condos complex. Monmouth Beach police, firefighters, and EMS units were immediately dispatched, joined by automatic aid from the Sea Bright and Long Branch Fire Departments.
Monmouth Beach Fire Chief Tim Griffin and Sea Bright Fire Chief Chad Murphy were among the first to arrive, confirming a working fire on the second floor of the occupied high-rise. A second alarm was transmitted, drawing additional mutual aid companies from surrounding towns.
Firefighters launched an aggressive interior attack and were able to confine the blaze to the apartment of origin. Crews brought the fire under control within an hour. No residents or first responders were injured, officials said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Monmouth Beach Fire Marshal and the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Responding departments included fire companies from Sea Bright, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Highlands, Oceanport, Little Silver, Oakhurst, Wanamassa, Glendola, and Wayside, along with assistance from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s EMS Division and Sea Bright Police.