Blaze Breaks Out at Ocean View Restaurant in Seaside Heights

Hours before the Ocean View restaurant and banquet hall in Seaside Heights was scheduled to host its yearly New Year's Eve celebrations, a fire broke out there on Wednesday.

Ron Gaboury, general manager of Ocean View, stated that a heating unit malfunction caused the fire to start on the restaurant's roof just before 1:30 p.m.

"The building was closed at the time of the incident, and staff members inside are all safe," Gaboury posted on the Facebook site of the eatery. "A big thank you to Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, and Toms River Fire Departments for their diligent work to minimize damage."

Despite the cancellation of the New Year's Eve celebration, which was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., he stated that the restaurant is "going through the process to safely open our doors again."