Pat Armstrong/Remnants of a box fire in Longport.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LONGPORT Volunteers at the Longport Fire Department had a busy afternoon July 1, as they responded to two emergencies one on land and one at sea.
Police Department dispatch received a 911 call at 12:23 p.m. reporting a fire on 24th Avenue in the trash area behind Ozzie's Luncheonette. It took two minutes for the Fire Department to arrive and when they did, they found several police officers and resident Scott Stetser using a garden hose to wet down a pile of boxes that were on fire. Capt. Pat Armstron used a ladder rack on his truck to quickly move the box away from a vehicle, and police used a fire extinguisher to help put out the fire.
According to Fire Chief Lefty Clayton, firefighters extinguished the blaze and made sure there was no smoldering. They cleaned up the area and requested Public Works pick up the debris.
Clayton said the fire was caused by a discarded lit cigarette and that there were multiple cigarettes on the ground.
If no one saw it, the fire could have entered the rear of the building and caused significant damage, he said.
Clayton said Armstrong advised the restaurant owner to make sure no one smokes in the area.
Prior to the fire, the department had just returned from responding to the call of a woman in distress in the water at Malibu Beach, also known as Longport Dog Park.
Clayton said Longport's Marine 3 rescue boat immediately responded to the area and upon arrival, firefighters were informed the woman had made it to the beach safely.
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