SIC Residents Want Answers Following Fires

SEA ISLE CITY – A series of public comments by residents and homeowners during Sea Isle City’s Council meeting April 23 focused on an issue uppermost in the public’s mind: concern coupled with worry and frustration about the recent spate of fires which, by one count, total 10 fires and one associated fatality in the last six months.
A recent fire occurred in the early morning hours of Easter, April 21, in the 200 block of 75th Street, with the fire quickly spreading to a neighboring property. Fire departments from Sea Isle, Strathmere, Ocean View, Seaville and Avalon responded to the scene, with one firefighter sustaining minor injuries as a result of the multiple-structure blaze. 
“What is going on? All we hear is that these fires are under investigation but we get no other information,” commented one homeowner. “Are all these fires accidental? The number of homes destroyed is more than in Atlantic City and elsewhere in the county.” 
“People are scared and we have a right to know what’s happening,” said another. One homeowner shared that her house almost caught on fire when Comcast cut an electric line that had become corroded, and only because she was at home was she able to trip the circuit breaker and avoid catastrophe.
“Atlantic City Electric never warned me that type of deterioration is more prevalent for shore properties. And in a fire everything burns up and there is no way to tell what happened in the debris. I now have had all wiring in my home inspected and moved the electric lines underground.”
Another commenter mentioned he was speaking as a private citizen and not for the Sea Isle City Planning Board. “There have been 10 houses in Sea Isle catching fire in the last six months and tragic loss of life and injury. The planning board has urged council to require non-combustible material on the exteriors of residences.
“With bigger bump-outs that now are also permitted, we need to seriously consider scaling down so that fires don’t jump from one home to another. There is less and less spacing between houses because of the new and bigger construction. The heat alone from one property on fire will cause siding to melt on a neighboring property and cause a fire.
“Yes, fire-retardant plywood costs about double and there are other increased costs to slow down fires, such as requiring sprinkler systems. But the city really needs to take action and impose, by ordinance, better standards.”
Council members and city administration listened closely to citizen input. Council President Jack Gibson said Sea Isle is paying careful attention to enforcement of current ordinances and is doing all that it can to prevent any future loss from fire.
“What we can publicize about these fires and their causes, we will. We all want to learn from this information so we can avoid these fires,” he concluded.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.