Longport and Margate Firefighters Knock Down Active Deck Fire on Atlantic Avenue

Margate City, NJ - A rapid, coordinated mutual aid response by Downbeach and regional fire departments brought a multi-story exterior structure fire under control Tuesday evening at a condominium complex along Atlantic Avenue in Longport.

First responders from the Margate City Fire Department were requested at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, to assist the Borough of Longport with a reported working structure fire at the Cypress Place Condominiums, located at 2609 Atlantic Avenue. Margate crews responded aboard Quint 24 and arrived to find active flames showing from the exterior decks on both the third and fourth floors of the multi-unit residential building.

Firefighters immediately stretched a 1.75-inch attack line to initiate suppression on the third-floor deck, while a second line was rapidly advanced to knock down the fire impinging on the fourth floor. Longport Volunteer Fire Department's Ladder 34 arrived and quickly tapped a municipal hydrant to establish an uninterrupted water supply to feed Quint 24's suppression lines.

Given the vertical fire spread and structural exposure risks, Longport fire command upgraded the incident to a working fire, summoning mutual aid assistance from the Ocean City Fire Department and the Somers Point Volunteer Fire Department.

Operating handlines swiftly halted vertical propagation and brought the fire under control before flames could breach the interior living units. Margate crews operated on the scene for approximately 90 minutes performing overhaul, check for extension, and equipment recovery, and the origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation.