Hundreds displaced in New Jersey apartment building fire

EDGEWATER, N.J. -- Hampered by winds and frigid temperatures, firefighters battled a five-alarm fire Wednesday night at a New Jersey apartment complex that sent flames sky high and smoke visible from New York City across the Hudson River.

The fire broke out inside the Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex on Russell Avenue along the Hudson River across from Manhattan around 5 p.m. Wednesday. There were no initial reports of injuries. Authorities said everyone in the four-story building apparently was able to get out safely. Some firefighters suffered minor injuries.

They had not determined the cause of the fire. The building has one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.

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

Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland declared a local state of emergency. He said schools would be closed on Thursday and access to roads would be restricted until further notice.

"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.

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

OFFICIALS COMMENT ON THE GAS SITUATION

"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. Edgewater Public Schools are closed Thursday. Leonia Middle School and Leonia High School will be open on Thursday, although busing will not be available.

Bergen County Office of Emergency Management is 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.