4 businesses destroyed in Ocean Grove multi-alarm fire

OCEAN GROVE, N.J. (WABC) -- More than 100 firefighters battled a multi-alarm fire along Main Avenue in Ocean Grove, New Jersey on Friday evening.

Yvonne's Caf, Barbaric Bean Coffee Roasters, Smugglers Cover Gift Shop, and one other business were all destroyed.

Late Friday night, as firefighters hosed down what still burned, Yvonne Paradiso and her partner Oleg Scorpan stood in shock. Their restaurant, their livelihood, was gone.

"Just the front door is standing there and the rest of it is gutted," Paradiso said.

"Seven years of work. Seven years of every day hard work. It's not good. Not good," Scorpan said.

The fast moving blaze started around 4:15 p.m. Friday in an upstairs apartment in the historic building on Ocean Grove's Main Avenue.

Then came the wind. Firefighters from 14 surrounding towns rushed to save the building, but there was nothing they could do.

"It just totally engulfed the length of the building," a resident said.

"It's winter season, we just lost four businesses and seven apartments right on our main downtown, so it's a big blow to the community," said Bike Bascom, of Neptune Township Emergency Management.

A community that stood for hours on the frigid night, and waited for word on their homes. In Ryan Ugrovics case, he waited for word on his cat, home alone when the fire started.

"It's overwhelming. I don't have another word for it. To come home and see your house is on fire," Ugrovics said.

A was a cold reality for residents and business owners. Seven years after opening her caf, Yvonne Paradiso watched firefighters knock down what was left.

"We're going to, we're going to rebuild this. We worked very hard to make it what it is and we'll bring it back," Paradiso said.

The cause of the fire and where it exactly started are still unknown.