Family Business Destroyed By Seaside Park Fire
By Syma Chowdhry
SEASIDE PARK, N.J., (CBS) -- Officials say a large fire destroyed at least 50 businesses on a six block stretch of the boardwalk in Seaside Park, Ocean County, a town that had to rebuild after Sandy.
"Everything is gone, everything is gone! That's my store!"
Seaside Park business owner, Hasham Khan, is devastated after seeing his business in Seaside Park burn to rubble.
The Khan family owned two convenience stores; Quickstop, which had been running for four years, and Streetcorner, which opened this year.
"This is the store we live off of - we have no other income."
Khan's father was in the shop when flames began spreading up the boardwalk.
He called his two sons immediately, and when Hasham arrived he couldn't believe his eyes.
"By the time I parked and I got here I saw my store burned down to the ground."
Hasham says the building's owner had insurance, but they did not, making this loss even more devastating.
To top it off, Hasham got laid off from his full-time job at a local hospital on Tuesday. He was hoping to make up for the loss by working more hours at the shops.
Khan says, "It's just sad, we are devastated and don't know what to do."
Congressman Jon Runyan came to Seaside Park to survey the damage. He encouraged business owners, like Hasham, to stay strong.
Runyan said, "I don't really know what happened yet but once we figure it out, we will make sure that we get all the appropriate support and help in place move forward and continue to rebuild."
