Toms River Strip Mall Fire Suspicious: Prosecutor (VIDEO)

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Investigators are poring over the remains of a fire that destroyed a strip mall and its five businesses in Toms River early Monday, seeking clues to the cause of the suspicious blaze, officials said.

Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, said the fire at the Ocean National Plaza strip mall at the corner of Cox Cro Road and Route 9 has been deemed suspicious.

Anyone with information or who may have observed anything is asked to contact Arson Investigator Christopher Bonner of the prosecutor's office at 732-929-2027, ext. 2449, or the Toms River police department's detective bureau at 732-349-0150, Della Fave said.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire at the Ocean National Plaza, which was reported just after midnight, said Sam Seaman, assistant fire chief with the East Dover Fire Company and the spokesman for the Toms River Fire Department. It caused severe damage to the strip mall, he said.

Two firefighters received treatment for medical issues that arose as a result of fighting the fire, Seaman said. One firefighter was taken to the hospital by Toms River EMS with elevated blood pressure, and the other suffered a hand injury that was treated on scene by EMS, he said.

An organization named Fully Involved Media Group posted video of firefighters battling the blaze. It's shared at the bottom of this article.

Ocean National Plaza, on the northwest corner of Cox Cro Road and Route 9, is home to five businesses: Esposito's Pizza; Azteca Mexican Restaurant and Bakery, Wing Far Chinese restaurant, Kokomo Nail Spa, and BJ's Cleaner, a dry cleaning business.

Seaman said Dan Roman, the assistant fire chief in from the Pleasant Plains Fire Department, was the first on the scene and immediately requested mutual aid from all six Toms River companies and from surrounding communities as well.

The fire was in the area of BJ's Cleaner, Seaman said, and was brought under control by about 3 a.m.

All Toms River fire companies — Pleasant Plains, Silverton, Toms River Companies 1 and 2, East Dover, and Ocean Beach — were called to either come to the scene or move up to cover empty stations. Toms River received coverage and assistance from firefighters in Lakewood, Manchester, Island Heights, Manitou Park, Beachwood, and Brick, Seaman said.

Parts of Route 9 and Cox Cro Road were closed to traffic because fire hoses were stretched across from nearby hydrants. Toms River Police Department handled traffic control and the NJ DOT traffic diversion team was called to take over the road closure.

Toms River Fire Company 2 officials said in a post on Facebook that firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 12:09 a.m. Toms River Fire Company 1 said in a post on Facebook that the fire was extinguished and all fire companies back to their stations by 5:30 a.m.

The fire remains under investigation.

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Photos via Toms River Fire Company 1 and Toms River Fire Company 2