MAPLEWOOD — AvalonBay says it will offer those who signed leases at its Maplewood apartment complex destroyed in a blaze early Saturday opportunities to live at its other nearby communities.
The apartment complex on Boyden Avenue, which was still under construction, caught fire at around 1:30 a.m.
“There was a limited number that had already been signed, and we will be contacting each of those people immediately and work with them to see if they have an interest in other AvalonBay communities nearby,” said Ron Ladell, senior vice president of AvalonBay Communities.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Sunday. More than 120 firefighters responded to the blaze, which destroyed more than two-thirds of the community, officials said in a previous report.
A firefighter was injured after slipping on ice, the report said.
Township Mayor Victor Deluca said he plans to meet with AvalonBay to discuss plans for rebuilding the project that had been set to open next month.
“My sense is that AvalonBay will be coming in to get permits to rebuild, and we’re going to be sitting down and reviewing … making sure that whatever may have happened here won’t occur again,” Deluca said.
Two years ago, the company’s complex in Edgewater was engulfed by flames, displacing more than 500 people due to lack of sprinklers in a space in the building.
DeLuca has said that Avalon officials followed higher standards in the Maplewood complex than at the Edgewater development.
Ladell emphasized that the fires at the Maplewood complex and at the complex in Edgewater occurred under very different circumstances.
“The development was still under construction and unfortunately the additional fire safety enhancements incorporated in our design in Maplewood were not yet fully operational,” he said.
Deluca said he still has faith in the company going forward.
“This a national company and they have a lot of experience,” Deluca said. “But we are going to review everything on our end and sit down and talk to Avalon, and are going to be certain about their practices.”
Construction at the Maplewood complex began in the spring of 2016, and according to Ladell, the project cost in excess of $50 million.
Ladell said the company will be meeting with Maplewood officials as early as tomorrow to discuss plans to remove the debris and secure the site.
Following those meetings, AvalonBay will continue discussions moving into the rebuilding of Avalon Maplewood.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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