Firefighters put out small flare-up at Seaside boardwalk; Christie promises state aid

Firefighters returned to the scene of the massive blaze on the Jersey shore early yesterday to extinguish a small flare-up that rekindled a pile of debris in Seaside Park, as the state government plans its aid for the businesses that were destroyed.

The flare-up started around 2:20 a.m. in a debris pile at a bar on the southern end of the Seaside Park boardwalk, and firefighters were able to put it out in about 45 minutes, fire officials said.

They wetted the surrounding area to prevent more flare-ups.

As the embers still smoldered on the Seaside Park and Seaside Heights boardwalk, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Saturday promised $15 million in state aid to the more than 50 local businesses that were destroyed in the fire.

"Getting financial assistance to fire-damaged businesses is a critical step to Seaside's economic recovery, and we're acting quickly to make that happen," Christie said.

The cause of the blaze, which started Thursday and took hundreds of firefighters to extinguish, is unknown, but some published reports have said investigators are looking at the blaze as "suspicious."