Ocean Beach Marina Begins Fire Cleanup [PHOTOS]

Ocean Beach Marina has finally begun the cleanup of five boats that were burned to the ground and two others that were severely damaged after

“It’ll just be nice to get back to normal around here,” marina general manager Jared Gaccione said.

Thursday was the first day for cleanup, which is being handled by the marina’s Lavallette location, Gaccione said. Some contractors are in-house, while others are external.

“We have to make sure we have all our t’s crossed and i’s dotted,” Gaccione said. “Everything has to be done properly.”

One boat will remain through cleanup while insurance companies continue their investigation. They believe the fire originated at this boat, Gaccione said.

Although the fire, which occurred on Feb. 23, was by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, it is possible that the had been plugged in, charging its battery, marina service manager Kyle Firuta previously told Patch.

The marina is hoping to complete the cleanup sometime next week, he said.

While the boat owners were upset when the blaze took down their vessels, some are now boat shopping while others might be taking the season off, he said.

“Hopefully we’ll get them back here and they’ll still be customers of ours,” Gaccione said.