Fire breaks out in storm-damaged N.J. shore town

Last Updated 10:41 a.m. ET

(CBS News) MANTOLOKING, N.J. - A fire has broken out in a New Jersey shore town hit hard by Sandy.

Mantoloking, a small town about 70 miles north of Atlantic City, suffered severe damage during the storm that brought 90-mph winds and 14 inches of rain.

Aerial video shows a large cluster of flames and smaller fires spread out from it, with flames reaching in the sky in the in the Curtis Point section of town.

An official with the Ocean County Emergency Management Office says authorities believe natural gas lines are fueling the flames at the site of a fire that had destroyed 14 homes. The official said the homes burned down two days ago when Sandy pounded the affluent town.

The official, who would not give his name, said firefighters can't reach the scene because the roads are impassable. The town was under a mandatory evacuation order ahead of the storm.

Emergency responders have been stretched to the brink up and down the coast, and as correspondent Jeff Glor told "CBS This Morning," access to a bridge being limited or completely unavailable could make fighting that fire difficult.

Photos: Superstorm slams Jersey Shore

Overall, in New Jersey two-thirds of customers remain without power. It could be days or weeks before power is back.

More than 80 percent of the shore area was flooded. Piers were mangled, boardwalk bits cast aside.

At Seaside Heights, N.J., sand consumed block after block and demolished a pier, leaving a roller coaster ride sitting in the ocean.

Sandy-hit areas struggle to resume daily life
Superstorm Sandy: State-by-state snapshot
New Jersey turns to rebuilding after superstorm Sandy
Gov. Christie: Sandy wreaks "unthinkable" havoc on N.J.

Gov. Chris Christie spoke about the scope of the damage and recalled his childhood speaking with resiliency but also resignation.

"We'll rebuild it. No question in my mine, we'll rebuild it. [But] for those of us who are my age it won't be the same."

President Obama has declared eight counties in New Jersey major disaster areas - all of them along the coast. He is scheduled to tour devastated areas of the state with Christie Wednesday.