Jersey Shore goes up in flames

Firefighters are battling a huge blaze on a boardwalk at the Jersey Shore in the US.

Fire broke out on the coast of New Jersey at 2pm local time on Thursday and was still raging 12 hours later.

Emergency teams had to rip up planks on the iconic boardwalk to contain the fire, filling the gaps with sandbags.

The fire destroyed more than 30 businesses on the stretch of shoreline which was previously hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey said it was "an unthinkable situation".

He told the New York Times: “I said to my staff, ‘I feel like I want to throw up.’ ”

“I can only imagine,” he added, “how the residents and business owners in this town are feeling.”

Christine Hemingway, who worked at a frozen custard shop on the boardwalk told of the alarm when the fire began.

"Our manager came running through the stand and said 'get out,' we go around the corner in front of Biscayne Candy and there was smoke coming up from the boardwalk," she told NBC. "There was a little smoke and then all of a sudden, it got real thick and black."

Early reports from firefighters on the scene suggest the fire began beneath the boardwalk.