Fourth Fire On Same OC Block Raises Questions; ‘Suspicious’ Blaze Under Investigation

OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate another fire last Thursday evening in the same general area where three other blazes have occurred this year, raising suspicion something more than mere coincidence could be afoot.

Last Friday, two downtown residents were displaced after an early morning residential fire at St. Louis Ave. near 1st Street, the fourth fire in basically the same block thus far this year. Around 12:50 a.m. last Friday, the Ocean City Fire Department responded to the area of St. Louis Avenue and 1st Street for a reported building fire. First arriving units discovered fire and heavy smoke emanating from a second-floor unit of the two-story residential building. Fire crews quickly extinguished the blaze, but remained on the scene for about three hours.

Two occupants of the ground-floor unit were displaced during the fire and were assisted by the American Red Cross and no injuries were reported. This week, the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office continued to investigate last Friday’s fire along with any possible connection to another residential fire on the same block in June and possibly the two fires that severely damaged the old de Lazy Lizard Brew Pub and eventually led to the demolition of the historic building that housed Melvin’s Steakhouse for decades.

More