Hundreds displaced in massive fire at New Jersey apartment complex

EDGEWATER, N.J. -- A five-alarm fire that started Wednesday night at a New Jersey apartment complex, sending flames sky high, was under control and contained Thursday morning, officials said.

The fire broke out inside the Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex on Russell Avenue along the Hudson River across from Manhattan around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

When firefighters arrived, sprinklers were going off and there were smoky conditions on the first floor with heavy fire in the ceiling. By Thursday morning, most of the structure had collapsed, but there were still hotspots.

"It was in the floors and it just traveled," said Edgewater Fire Department Chief Thomas Jacobson. "We had crews on three floors. We had the task of multiple rescues on different floors because the smoke had traveled through the building and we had to evacuate people."

Authorities said everyone in the four-story building apparently was able to get out safely. Two civilians and two firefighters were hurt, but all had minor injuries. There were no missing persons; two people had to be rescued.

PHOTOS: Massive fire destroys 4-story apartment in NJ

"We had people stuck on back balconies, we had ladders removing people from the balconies, and the fire just took off," said Jacobson. "We had plenty of fire apparatus."

Several pets are believed to have died. The cause of the fire had not been determined.

Jacobson said the building has lightweight construction with a truss-style roof framing. The method has the advantages of being faster and less expensive to install, but if it catches fire, it is more difficult to fight.

"If it was made out of concrete and cinder block, we wouldn't have this problem. But it is lightweight construction with sprinklers and this is a problem you face with this type of construction," said Jacobson."

The building has one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. Smoke was visible from New York City across the Hudson River.

Police Chief William Skidmore was asked about a rumor that the fire was started when a plumber was welding a pipe inside the apartment complex, but Skidmore said that is unconfirmed.

"In a fire like this, you are going to hear several different things," he said. "The arson squad responding is not an indication of anything suspicious or that we believe there's a problem. A fire of this magnitude is an automatic response for the arson squad."

More than 400 people were evacuated from the four-story building and led to the nearby Eleanor Van Gelder School, located at 251 Undercliff Ave. Displaced residents were also being directed to a shelter at a nearby Boys and Girls Club.

Two-hundred forty units were destroyed and 168 units were saved; 500 residents were permanently displaced by the fire and 520 other people were displaced from other buildings. The 39 affordable housing units in the complex and surrounding units were also affected.

Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland has declared a local state of emergency.

River Road had mostly reopened in the late morning, but there were lane closures. It had been closed since the fire. Edgewater's two elementary schools were closed Thursday. Neighboring Leonia Middle School and Leonia High School were open, although busing was not available.

The town's Facebook page said that all Avalon residents were accounted for, but not all of their pets.

Disaster assistance was planned Thursday at the Edgewater Community Center, 1167 River Road. The Bergen County Humane Society also opened a pet shelter at the American Legion at 1165 River Road, and Whole Foods and the community center also were taking people in.

The fire spread so quickly that workers did not have a chance to turn off the gas in the building.

"This is lightweight wood construction and it's very difficult to fight because of the collapse hazard. It collapses very quickly and easily. It doesn't give the firemen a lot of time to fight a fire in a building like this," a firefighter at the scene said.

"It just keeps spreading, and spreading, and spreading," one resident said.

"It sounds like a freight train," another said.

At least a dozen nearby municipalities assisting in battling the fire including Hackensack, Fort Lee, Little Ferry, Teaneck, Tenafly, Hillsdale, Englewood, Mahwah, Oakland, New Milford and Franklin Lakes. FDNY Marine units are also fighting the fire.

Power has been restored to most residents in Edgewater after an earlier outage.

Bergen County Office of Emergency Management was on the scene.

More than 14 years ago, a fire started at the same location where a five-story condominium complex was under construction and destroyed nine homes and damaged several others. The Aug. 30, 2000, fire forced the evacuation of dozens of nearby residents, including patients at a nearby nursing home. The cause was never determined, although investigators ruled out arson.

In a civil lawsuit, a jury found that negligence by the developer of the Avalon River Mews contributed to the 2000 blaze. AvalonBay Communities, a Virginia-based developer, was managing the construction of the $75 million complex at the site of the former Alcoa factory.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.