Worked in WW that summer on Morey's. I remember closing a little early and everybody saying that Mariner's was on fire. I ran back to my room to get my super 8 camera and got 3 minutes or so of footage of the fire itself. Also have still pictures I took on Mariner's the day after. Took 2 washings to get the smokey smell out of the t shirt I wore that day. Thanks for uploading this.

Remember it well, as I was there!!!! I was working at the 'Dungeon' boat ride, at the Castle, the night (August 19th, or 20th. I think it was a Saturday) the fire broke out. I was taking tickets that night, and all the crowds stopped coming in, so I wondered why. Then I saw all the sparks, in the night sky. As I was also on the security crew, we had to quickly evacuate the customers, out of our ride. I later stood down by the water, watching this. The heat was so intense, it made the makeup on my face, melt. The BIGGEST boardwalk fire, I've seen to date.

Found this from the Funchase web site. I also remember this fire vividly. I used to hear the stories as a child about the many fires of "odd origins" on the boardwalk, but this was the first one that happened to buildings I knew. Spend a lot of time in the arcade that was there. Thanks for the blast from the past!

It happened in 1981. Iwas looking for myself in the video, I was there that day too (didn't find me). I loved that Hitchcock Mansion ride....

Fun Pier was also good. I rode the Lost World and walked through Crazy House. Crazy House was another Bill Tracy attraction that burned down Nov. 1984 with Lost World. There was also Castle Frankenstein at the left rear but I didn't go in. It looked big and scary on the outside at night. It was a walkthrough with live actors like Castle Dracula. It opened 1978, and closed late summer 1982, and burned Aug 1984. Morey's Haunted House also looked creepy at night, but I didn't go in. We rode Dante's

We stopped going to Wildwood then went back Aug 95, June, 96 and June, 98. Haven't been back since then. I experienced the old Hunt's Pier in the early 80's when Bud Hunt and Vince Kostek were still running it. I rode most of the dark rides except the Whacky Shack. That ride looked CREEPY walking past it at night. There's a ton of photos of it out there on WW history websites. Anthony's, Funchase, etc. It had classic Bill Tracy stunts like the clock and sawmill. It was built 1964, removed 1996.

Was Hitchcock a ride-through haunted house? I saw a track plan somewhere funchase I think and it appeared to be a ride-through. All I remember about Mariner's from that time period is the Cinema 180, Ripley's Believe It or Not! small attraction, the showboat funhouse, Runaway Train coaster, a Himilaya-type ride, the 1001 Nacht rising gondola ride which left the pier several years ago. Maybe it was 1982 when I was on Mariner's because I don't remember seeing the Manor in person at all.

We were walking down the boardwalk and it was kind of windy and I looked over and said wow the wind is really kicking up the sand and my dad said sand hell that's smoke then we look up the boardwalk and see flames starting to shoot up. Soon little bits of flaming debris are raining down from the sky and I'm wondering if it's going to start another fire. We get back to the Heart of Wildwood and start packing up our stuff in case we have to evacuate. The owner goes up on the roof with a garden hose to wet it down. My dad helps him out a little bit. We pack up our van. A car pulls in right behind our van and a guy starts throwing in the jewerly from his jewelry store. It's pretty scary for a few minutes, but then it kind of settles down. The next day we walk up there and see guys shoveling quarters out of the wreckage of the arcade with shovels. We had just gone to Hitchcock Manor earlier that day or the day before.

I was there back then, we vacationed in Wildwood I think about 3 or 4 times in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. I don't think we went in 1984 or 1985 because in August 1984 we went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and 1985 not sure, but we went to Strasburg RR and stayed at the Red Caboose Motel. I don't remember this fire or seeing the Manor in person. I remember the Cinema 180 (motion from films made me sick) and Ripley's Believe It or Not! trailer. My father passed Mar 8, 1986.

There was also a pretty big boardwalk fire in 1991 or 1992..I was there on vacation as a child and have lots of pics. Anyone have video of that?

@rogerrendzak8055

5 ай бұрын

That's when the old German made merry-go-round, burned down, along with the piers' Marine Wests' offices. That was November 1992. I was there. That definitely was arson🔥.

:47 mark Hot Spot sign that is where the fire started.

@alanroberts2278

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, you sure are right and when I was walking down the boardwalk toward the Starlight Ballroom back then that night and I was only 16 and now I'm almost 58 I saw the Fire just starting out and It looked like It was a Grease Fire at one of those food Places that was in that building and it got big pretty quick and before I knew It the whole building was fully engulfed.

@rogerrendzak8055

5 ай бұрын

​@@alanroberts2278Yes, in the rear of 'The Hot Spot' (pun intended). Very suspicious, I know, I was there. Ripped right through Jilly's jewelry, which was next door.

@alanroberts2278

5 ай бұрын

Yep, your definitely right.@@rogerrendzak8055