Fire at East Windsor, New Jersey, condo complex displaces nearly 50 people
EAST WINDSOR, N.J. (CBS) -- A massive fire at a condo complex in East Windsor, Mercer County, displaced 47 people from 24 units on Monday, fire officials said.
Twenty of the 24 units at the American Way Condominiums on Avon Drive were impacted by the fire, which started at around 4 p.m. Most of the units have significant water and fire damage.
There weren't any injuries due to the fire, according to East Windsor Fire Department. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but the blaze reportedly started on one of the second-floor units.
Franki Garcia, who was home at the time of the fire, recorded a video of flames shooting through the roof of the condominiums where he and his family lived. He was home for about an hour from school before the fire broke out at around 4 p.m.
"I'm happy I was home already just because my dad was asleep and my brother wasn't home and my mom was at work," Garcia said.
Garcia said he watched as smoke and fire quickly spread from one condo to the next, destroying as many as 20 units.
Several fire departments from four surrounding counties all worked together to put out the flames of the massive complex fire and evacuate its residents.
"That was the biggest hindrance," a man with the East Windsor fire department said. "It took us a long time to get a sufficient amount of water for the volume of fire that we had."
"We do have a few missing animals unaccounted for," he added. "We had no civilian injuries, we had no firefighter injuries and we had no fatalities."
Greg McAvoy's cats were pulled from the charred building.
"First thing that came to mind – I want my cats out," McAvoy said. "They were on the bottom floor, and I was worried for them."
Police and fire crews kept an eye on the complex overnight. The Red Cross is helping residents displaced by the fire find shelter. East Windsor provided hotel rooms to those families who did not have a place to go, the Red Cross said.
Meanwhile, neighbors immediately stepped in, offering food, water and clothing donations.
"My parents tried raising me out grateful and thankful for what I have and, especially if other people don't have it, I would love to share and give that feeling to them," a young girl said.
Garcia's parents are immigrants from Guatemala. He says they worked hard to put him through school.
Unfortunately, the Hightstown High School senior lost most of his childhood memories in this fire.
"I have all my trophies there for wrestling. My senior poster is gone," he said. "My childhood, just anything that has memories is gone."
