EDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) - Authorities on Thursday sought to determine what ignited a fire in a four-story apartment complex across the Hudson River from New York City.
The Avalon at Edgewater continued to smolder Thursday afternoon, hours after the fire broke out on the first floor.
Firefighters went door-to-door Wednesday afternoon as flames moved quickly through the 240-unit structure, Fire Chief Thomas Jacobson said. They made three rescues and no one was missing.
The building's sprinklers were working, but the lightweight, wooden structure fueled the flames and made fighting the fire difficult, the fire chief said.
"It's very difficult because once it's in the walls and floors, we're chasing it," Jacobson said.
The building complied with construction and fire codes, the fire chief said, but he added: "If it was made out of cinder block and concrete, we wouldn't have this problem."
Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland said approximately 240 units were destroyed and 168 units in a nearby complex were saved.
The Red Cross established a shelter for approximately 500 residents who were permanently displaced from the apartment complex, including New York Yankees announcer John Sterling, and approximately 520 who were temporarily displaced from surrounding buildings, the mayor said.
Two civilians and two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
While there was no immediate indication the fire was suspicious, investigators will sort through the charred, smoldering rubble seeking to determine the point of origin and cause, Police Chief William Skidmore said.
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.