Fire levels motel; 20 exit safely in Seaside Heights Published in the Asbury Park Press 7/22/02 By PETER EICHENBAUM STAFF WRITER SEASIDE HEIGHTS -- A fire visible from miles away destroyed a motel before dawn yesterday, with all occupants escaping unharmed. The Red Cross was to establish temporary shelter for at least 20 people who were displaced, officials said. The blaze, first reported at 3:05 a.m., quickly engulfed the Seaside Hotel at the corner of Sumner and Central avenues. Despite the efforts of some 150 firefighters, the four-alarm inferno reduced the building to a smoldering shell. The fire was brought under control at 5:50 a.m. There were no injuries. "The flames could be seen from the Garden State Parkway about 10 miles away," said Assistant Chief Bill Rumbolo of the Seaside Heights Fire Company. "It was pretty big." Investigators believe it started in the roof or attic, but they were still working yesterday to determine the cause, Rumbolo said. Firefighters from the borough and four other area municipalities prevented the fire from spreading to two adjacent condominium complexes, set apart from the burning motel only by a four-foot alleyway, Rumbolo said. Those complexes, with more than a dozen units, were evacuated, and the buildings sustained only minor water damage, he said. The Red Cross was arranging accommodations for the motel guests. While some were booked just for the weekend, most were year-round residents, Rumbolo said. The firefighters had some "water problems" that forced them to snake 3,000 feet of hose across Route 35 and draft water from Barnegat Bay, Rumbolo said. "There were so many aerials (ladder trucks) working, we didn't have enough water pressure" from hydrants, Rumbolo said. "There were three aerials and four pumpers, which is a lot to be pulling off of one (water) line." The name of the motel owner was not available, Rumbolo said, adding that the property was sold a couple of weeks ago.