Cleanup begins after massive fire severely damages buildings in Bound Brook

The cleanup has begun in Bound Brook after a massive fire severely damaged at least five buildings on the town’s Main Street.

News 12 Staff

Jan 13, 2020, 4:49 PM

Updated 1,734 days ago

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The cleanup has begun in Bound Brook after a massive fire severely damaged at least five buildings on the town’s Main Street.
The fire began around 8 p.m. Sunday at an apartment complex that was under construction. Windy conditions in the area caused the fire to spread to other buildings, displacing 24 people in 11 families.
The fire produced large bright flames and black smoke that could be seen for miles after the fire started.
“People described it as raining fire. You could seed the fire for many miles away,” says Bound Brook Borough Administrator Hector Herrera.
It's believed the fire started in a vacant apartment building called the Meridia, which was still under construction. Wind pushed the flames across the street to the Reynolds building which was also still under construction. It then spread to an electronics store, a rooming house that had 10 people living inside and an apartment building with six units
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The American Red Cross is assisting those people displaced by the fire.
Fire officials were still on the scene of the blaze Monday night, occasionally spraying water on hotspots to prevent the fire from reigniting.
Town officials have also evacuated residents from 14 homes in close proximity toe the fire scene as a precaution as crews begin to demolish the buildings.
"Somerset County is being very cautious and worried about the safety of those residents near the apartment buildings. They evacuated those homes and they are providing temporary housing for those families for next few days or so, just until they can get the buildings down safely,” says Diane Concannon with the American Red Cross.
No one was injured in the fire.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating.
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