'I Heard A Boom And Saw Hatches Flying,' Brick Marina Fire Witness Says

BRICK, NJ — Rob Skon said he was busily waxing and polishing a boat at Comstock Marina when he heard it.

"I heard a boom and saw hatches flying in the air," Skon, of Point Pleasant, said Tuesday afternoon. As smoke started billowing skyward, the man on the boat got clear of it, he said. "He was fine except for the lack of hair on his arms and legs; he is lucky to be alive."

The boat fire at the marina, located at the corner of Princeton Avenue and the base of Beaver Dam Bridge that connects Brick to Point Pleasant, forced Brick Township police to shut down Princeton Avenue while firefighting efforts were underway Tuesday. Those efforts included a firefighting boat that hosed down the fire from the Beaver Dam Creek.

Skon said he was about 30 feet away when the boat, which he said was at the fuel dock, exploded. He said he and Comstock staff and a few others tried to extinguish the fire dockside, but the combination of fuel, fiberglass and wind hampered their efforts.

Brick Township police were still dealing with the fire Tuesday and could not immediately provide additional details. A Nixle alert at about 2:30 p.m. warned motorists to avoid the area because of the firefighting efforts, shutting down Princeton Avenue for a time. Skon said traffic resumed shortly after the boat fire was extinguished.

Brick Township resident John Umina, who shared photos of the fire with Patch, said all that appeared to be left of the boat was its hull.

Top photo: Flames and smoke billow from a boat shortly after it exploded at Comstock Marina in Brick on Tuesday. Photo by Robert Skon. All photos used with permission.