By Donald Wittkowski
Demolition crews Thursday tore down the charred remains of a duplex that was one of three adjacent homes in Sea Isle City destroyed by a Nov. 29 fire that killed an elderly woman.
The duplex at 25 54th Street was severely damaged by flames, leaving one side of it completely scorched. There was also interior damage caused by smoke and water.
Immediately after the fire, authorities weren’t sure whether the duplex would have to be demolished, but it was later determined to be a total loss and ordered torn down. The remains of two other adjacent duplexes on 54th Street destroyed by the raging fire were demolished earlier.
Authorities are still investigating the blaze. They have not yet announced the cause, but determined that it started in the middle duplex, where 89-year-old Sea Isle resident Marie Zielinski died of smoke inhalation.
Sea Isle Police Chief Tom McQuillen told reporters the day after the fire that there were no signs of anything suspicious and it appeared it was nothing more than “a terrible tragedy.”
Most of Zielinski’s duplex burned to the ground. The rest of the structure was demolished the next day.
Another duplex at the corner of 54th Street and Landis Avenue was extensively damaged and was torn down in late December.
The fire scorched one side of the duplex and burned away a large section of the second floor, requiring the house to be demolished.
The duplex at 25 54th Street was the only structure that had remained standing – until Thursday. A demolition crew used a giant excavator to tear down the home. The rubble will be carted away to a landfill in Woodbine, a demolition worker said.
One side of the duplex was owned by Don and Sophia Peyton, of Wayne, Pa. The Peytons used the duplex as a vacation home. They have five children. The family was not at home during the fire.
In an interview in December, the Peytons said they planned to collaborate on a new duplex with the owners of the other side, Marc and Anita Maiatico, of Haddonfield, N.J.
“We will rebuild,” Sophia Peyton said, estimating that it will take about a year and a half before their new house is ready.
The Peytons were able to salvage their patio set, some bikes, a grill and a few appliances, but their furniture was ruined by smoke and water.
