Close to 20 people have been displaced from part of a Neptune City apartment complex that has now been deemed a total loss after an early morning fire.

More than 10 departments responded to help fight the two-alarm fire at the Brighton Arms Apartments.

The first call came in at 2:20 a.m., and the fire took several hours to get under control.

A large section of the building's roof collapsed just minutes after crews arrived on the scene, forcing firefighters to switch from an offensive to defensive posture in their response.