By ERIN ROLL
roll@montclairlocal.news
No injuries were reported when a fire broke out early Sunday morning at an apartment building on North Fullerton Avenue, causing fire damage on four exterior balconies and smoke damage in some of the apartment units.
David Faloni Sr., the owner of the apartment complex at 45 North Fullerton Ave., said the fire broke out at approximately 1 a.m. at the rear of the building. Eight apartment units were affected, Faloni said, and at least four units on the second and third floors will have to be vacated for a few months so the smoke damage can be repaired and cleaned.
The building is divided into three sections, containing a total of 24 units. Fire doors inside the building, which are required by state law, kept the fire and smoke from spreading to the other two sections of the building, Faloni said.
Faloni said he was still waiting for a determination from the Montclair Fire Department on the cause of the fire. The building was still occupied as of Sunday morning, and Faloni noted that some of the residents in the non-affected sections were still asleep in their apartments.
One passerby described seeing a large number of fire trucks responding to the building in the early morning hours, and the sidewalk in front of the building was still cordoned off with yellow caution tape as of Sunday morning. One resident posted a photo of her smoke-damaged third-floor apartment to social media, and reported that the fire had started on the first floor and traveled upwards through the balconies into the second and third floors.
The 14,500 square foot building at 45 North Fullerton Ave. was built in 1923, according to property tax records.
The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time. The Montclair Fire Department did not return a call for comment.