Fire In Ocean Grove, New Jersey Heavily Damages 'Dunes Boardwalk Cafe'

OCEAN GROVE, N.J. (CBS/AP) - Fire has heavily damaged a New Jersey boardwalk cafe, but no injuries have been reported. Officials in Ocean Grove said the fire broke out at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Dunes Boardwalk Cafe building, which houses several seasonal businesses and was apparently unoccupied at the time.

Firefighters battled the flames from the roof, but flames eventually shot out of the upper part of the building.

"There were firefighters on top trying to break through the roof. It took off faster than they could keep up with," said resident Camille Cecere. "This building really took a hard hit during Sandy and it had just finally gotten back up and going the last couple of years, so it's a shame."

"We've been conning here for 30 years. It's tragic, it's just awful," said longtime visitor Nancy Benanito-Sgromolo.

The Asbury Park Press reports that a Neptune Township police officer pushed back the beach crowd, yelling "The whole thing is going to go." The roof collapsed sometime after 2 p.m. Saturday.

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known. It was just a block north of a 2017 fire that damaged or destroyed seven buildings.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)