Ocean City Amusement Park Prepares For Summer After Damaging Fire

OCEAN CITY, NJ — On the same day that a fire tore through the arcade of Playland’s Castaway Cove, owner Scott Simpson promised that the amusement park would reopen by spring.

The four-alarm fire on Jan. 30 destroyed the structure at 1020 Boardwalk, which housed Playland's arcade and offices, Hamburger Construction Company and Dairy Queen. Read more: Investigators Conclude Ocean City Boardwalk Fire Was Accidental

Almost four months since the fire, Playland is preparing to have nearly all of its rides operating by Memorial Day weekend.

The amusement park has already been open on weekends with 25 of its 32 rides running, according to Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland.

“We opened Palm Sunday and added rides each weekend. We’re moving along as far as that goes. We just don’t have our building up front,” Hartley said.

Most of the rides were left untouched by flames, except for the amusement park’s balloon and helicopter rides, which were stored in the building that was destroyed by the fire.

Hartley said Playland had luckily purchased a new helicopter ride last summer that has been safe in storage, while new gondolas for the balloon ride are expected to arrive in mid-June.

“There were a couple other small odds and ends, but we were able to get those parts in the spring to get them up and running,” he said. “The perception when everything first happened was that there was a lot more damage to the rides than there really was.”

In September, construction crews will start rebuilding the arcade after the Boardwalk crowds dwindle down. The construction is expected to last through next spring, according to Hartley.

In the meantime, crews are building a concrete deck and ramp that will connect the Boardwalk to the amusement park this summer.

Hartley also confirmed that there are plans in the works to rebuild the arcade’s beloved pirate ship that overlooked the Boardwalk.

The construction continues to draw interest from Boardwalk spectators. Simpson has installed a plexiglass wall above the plywood construction barrier for people to view the construction as it progresses.

“If you’re a kid and you’re into diggers and excavators and things like that, in the next week or so there’s going to be a lot going on up there and they’re going to have fun watching that progress," Hartley said.

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