A luxury New Jersey apartment building was engulfed in flames on Wednesday for 12 hours, causing nearby schools to close and leading to the declaration of a state of emergency, NBC New York reported.
It was a struggle for fire fighters to put out the fire at Avalon on the Hudson on Russell Avenue in Edgewater. The same building burned to the ground as it was being built 15 years ago.
"We left in what we had," displaced resident Tamara Talbott said. "We got the kids and the dogs. Our cars are all underneath. There's nothing left."
The 408-unit building caught on fire around 4:30 p.m. and all its residents were quickly evacuated. The fire was under control for a while after emergency personnel arrived, but it kept burning in the back area of the complex that was hard to reach.
The fire then spread and took over many units in the northern section of the building. Smoke and flames could be seen from as far away as the top of Rockefeller Center, across the Hudson River. About 160 people are seeking shelter at community centers in the local area until they can find somewhere to go. The case of the fire hasn't been discovered yet, according to Action News Now.
Residents were shocked that the fire could spread so fast and cause so much damage.
"For all the fire doors and things we have in the building, I'm shocked that it would go from something small to something like this," resident Talbott said.
