It's still not clear what sparked a huge fire at an apartment complex in New Jersey Wednesday that sent out plumes of smoke that could be seen and smelled here in the city.
The flames could be seen from anywhere along the West Side of Manhattan and up into the Bronx.
The fire at The Avalon in Edgewater started around 4:30 p.m. and quickly engulfed the entire complex.
Cold temperatures and windy conditions made it difficult for crews to control the fire.
A New York City fire department boat was called in to help battle the flames.
No injuries were reported, but hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes. One of them is longtime Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling.
Sterling told the Daily News he left everything behind and checked into a hotel room.
He says he is worried he may have lost all his belongings, but is otherwise okay.
The massive wood frame apartment building is somehow permitted under New Jersey's fire code.
The place has already had a major fire.
Flames tore through the Avalon complex when it was under construction in 2000.
The cause of that fire was never determined.