ASBURY PARK, N.J. – Fire broke out Thursday in a 16-story apartment building, trapping several people on balconies and injuring others, the city's fire department said.
At least one person had serious enough injuries to be transported to an area hospital, Asbury Park fire Capt. Frank Dilello said. Firefighters were searching for other possible victims.
Flames were shooting from an upper-floor apartment in the Monroe Towers, an apartment building constructed in 1965. It is one of the tallest buildings in Asbury Park, a community along the Atlantic Ocean.
Dilello said the fire, which started on the 14th floor at about 11:20 a.m., appeared to be contained to the upper stories, which were being evacuated. He said the fire hadn't spread to lower floors.
The fire was too high for ladder trucks, so firefighters were fighting the fire from inside. Dilello wasn't sure if the building had sprinklers, but said there were hose hookups inside.
Television stations showed emergency medical workers putting oxygen masks on firefighters outside the tower, as smoke continued to pour out of the upper stories.
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