DISASTROUS

Nearly Two Dozen Injured in Jersey Shore Deck Collapse

Several children were reportedly among those hurt when the decks came crashing down during an annual firefighters convention.

At least three children and several firefighters were among 22 people injured Saturday when decks collapsed at a Jersey Shore home, authorities said. “The screaming. It was just really terrible,” one neighbor told 6ABC Action News of the panic that ensued when people became trapped underneath the debris. The incident, in which the second- and third-floor decks appeared to crash down on the first floor one, occurred in Wildwood during an annual firefighters convention. Joann Devito, a witness who said she saw “the whole thing caving in,” was quoted by local media saying two babies appeared to have been injured, though officials have yet to confirm that. The Sussex County Fire Chief’s Association said at least eight members of the Branchville Fire Department and their relatives were injured in the collapse. Those injured were transported to local hospitals, but no further details were immediately available on the extent of their injuries.