By David Jones
Sept 15 (Reuters) - Firefighters returned to the scene of a massive blaze on the New Jersey shore in the early hours of Sunday as a flare-up rekindled a pile of debris on the southern end of the boardwalk in Seaside Park, officials said.
The blaze, which began at a frozen custard shop on Thursday, destroyed more than 50 businesses in Seaside Park and neighboring Seaside Heights, Jersey Shore communities that still are struggling to rebuild after being slammed by Superstorm Sandy last October. Many of the businesses lost in the fire had just reopened earlier this year after being destroyed by storm surge flooding.
Ocean County prosecutors, who are coordinating the investigation of Thursday's blaze, said a fire zone security team observed the flare-up at 2:20 a.m. at a debris pile located behind the Sawmill Bar, which is located at the southern end of the Seaside Park boardwalk, according to Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Office of the Ocean County Prosecutor.
Firefighters called in from Seaside Heights and Seaside Park had extinguished the fire by 3 a.m. and wetted down the surrounding area to prevent another flare-up.
The area is under around-the-clock watch until 6 p.m. Monday by a security detail that includes prosecutors, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park police, the Ocean County Sheriff and New Jersey State Police. (Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Adler)
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