POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. — A fire early Friday destroyed a New Jersey shore motel that was housing people displaced by Hurricane Sandy, killing four people and injuring eight, authorities said.
The blaze erupted at the wooden Mariner’s Cove Motor Inn in this popular resort town about 5:30 a.m. Flames were shooting out the building when firefighters arrived. At least one person leaped from a second-floor window to escape. Three people were injured critically. Other injuries included broken bones.
The discovery of a fourth victim was announced Friday afternoon, just before firefighters removed the body on a stretcher. Authorities said all remaining occupants had been accounted for after hours of visiting hospitals, motels and other locations to track down other survivors.
The victims were identified as male adults, but the prosecutor’s office said no positive identifications had been made and the cause of the blaze was unknown.
The blaze was the second major fire at the Jersey shore in seven months, following a September blaze that destroyed about a third of the boardwalk in Seaside Heights and Seaside Park.
