Crime & Safety

Shrimp Box Fire Accidentally Started in Kitchen Range Hood

Restaurant on Inlet Drive, Point Beach, re-opened Thursday

restaurant started accidentally when cardboard left in the range hood in the kitchen caught fire, according to the Ocean County Fire Marshal's office.

There were no injuries in the fire at the popular restaurant on Inlet Drive.

Cardboard that cleaning staff had left in the hood for cleaning purposes caught on fire Wednesday, sending flames up into the roof, said John Pasola, a deputy county fire marshal who investigated the blaze. Heat from boilers ignited the cardboard that had been placed on top of the hood, Pasola said.

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The fire was quickly extinguished by the volunteer firefighters from Point Beach, Point Borough and South Wall, damage was minimal and the restaurant re-opened on Thursday after owners and staff from Alex's Bait and Tackle and other neighboring businesses helped restaurant owners clean up, officials and business owners said.

The Point Pleasant First Aid and Emergency Squad also responded to the scene, but on-scene medical treatment was not needed. The few employees who had been inside the restaurant when the fire ignited escaped unharmed.

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Point Beach Fire Chief Joseph Michigan is encouraging the Point Beach community to sign up as fire department volunteers, who are sorely needed to serve the community. Anyone interested should call Michigan, who is also a police lieutenant, at the at (732) 892-0500, ext. 158.


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