Hurricane Erin: Margate City emergency crews battle fires, rescue 16 from flooded cars

Hurricane Erin: State of emergency declared in New Jersey, the latest

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MARGATE CITY, N.J. - Emergency crews in Margate City, New Jersey, spent Thursday evening responding to a series of emergencies as Hurricane Erin brought flooding to the area.

What we know:

Emergency crews in Margate City faced a series of challenges during the height of Hurricane Erin's flooding. They dealt with a gas leak, an underground transformer fire and an electrical fire at a business.

Rescue teams were busy with six vehicle rescues from flooded waters, saving a total of 16 people and three dogs. Rescues included groups of one to five people per vehicle, with some even involving pets. 

Two restaurants, Soffias and Tomatoes, became temporary shelters for evacuees. Soffias had 30 people transported, while Tomatoes had four, according to a Facebook post by Margate City Fire Department.

Margate City utilized two storm trucks, Storm 2 and Storm 3, while also requesting mutual aid from the Longport Fire Department, which provided Storm 3 to assist in the operations. 

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