A massive fire in Bound Brook over the weekend severely damaged six buildings, including a 250-unit apartment complex that was under construction.

The complex on Main Street was part of the redevelopment of downtown – along with promise of direct train rides into New York City.

The fire, while devastating, is not the first time Bound Brook has faced hardships.

Back in 1999, flooding from Hurricane Floyd nearly wiped the town off the map. But in the nearly 21 years since the storm, levees, walls and pumps designed to keep the waters of the Raritan River and its tributaries out of town were built, and the town started to bounce back.

Bound Brook seems to often be a town in flux. Anyone walking down the main drag of downtown will notice a mix of old businesses, vacant storefronts and new businesses.

But there are some that are skeptical of the town, wondering if it will be enough to attract enough members of younger generations to fill the new apartment buildings.

“It’s a shame because we had the opportunity to do something good and we went in the wrong direction,” said one resident.

When asked which direction would have been best for Bound Brook, he replied, “Something more to scale.”

It was not clear if the developer would rebuild the complex that was destroyed by the fire. But most Bound Brook residents agree that a fire wasn’t going to be enough to set the town back forever.