Belmar Home Destroyed by Fire Had Been Set for Foreclosure Sale

An unoccupied home that was gutted by a Sunday night fire was scheduled for foreclosure sale, an analysis of public records shows.

According to the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, the owner of the home at 111 16th Ave., Gregory A. Sozek of Upper Montclair, had legal proceedings brought against him by mortgage broker The Bank of New York Mellon. 

A judgement was made in the amount of $493,358.86 and the home was scheduled to be sold on May 16.

Fire ripped through the residence at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday and quickly spread to an under construction home at 113 16th Ave.

Volunteer firefighters from Belmar, with assistance from nearby Avon and Wall Township, brought the blaze under control within an hour and extinguished it soon after.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Monmouth County Fire Marshall and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. No determination has been made available as of this report.

Neither home was occupied at the time of the fire and no major injuries were reported, though one Belmar firefighter did suffer a minor hand injury and was treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. A lone resident was evacuated from her home at 109 16th Ave., which sustained some heat and smoke damage.