New Jersey apartment complex under construction catches fire

MAPLEWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A massive fire blew through a luxury apartment complex that was about to open to residents in New Jersey.

The Avalon Maplewood on Boyden Avenue was under construction before it caught fire around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, said Maplewood Police Lt. Thomas Perna. The blaze was knocked down around 5 a.m.

The site is next to a New Jersey Transit bus station.

More than 120 firefighters battled the fast moving fire at its peak. One was injured when he slipped on ice. There were no other reported injuries.

There is no word yet on the cause of the fire.

Town officials say 235 units were planned for the complex overall, and roughly 30 of them were due to be ready for occupancy in about six weeks. Authorities said more than two-thirds of the community was destroyed by the blaze.

AvalonBay, which owns the complex, faced a similar situation two years ago when a 240-unit apartment complex it operated in Edgewater was gutted by a massive blaze.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.