Investigators Say Electrical Wiring Caused Beach Road Fire

Experts finished their investigation of the May 20 fire that destroyed a $2.6 million home on Beach Road and determined that electrical wiring to a ceiling fan in a second-floor living area caused the blaze, acting Fire Chief Charles Bowman said on Wednesday.

Investigators from the Ocean City Fire Department, Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Ocean City Police Department determined that the fire was accidental. 

The three-story home at the corner of Morningside Road and Beach Road was .

When the firefighters first arrived at the residence at about 3:45 p.m., the fire was already tearing through the second floor of the home. They were able to protect the neighboring houses threatened by the strong northeast winds fanning the flames.

No residents were home at the time of the fire. Property tax records from 2011 list George A. Stohner and Brendan Burnett, of Indianapolis, IN, as the owners of the property, which is assessed at $2.6 million.