Fire causes Atlantic City building to partially collapse

At around 7 a.m. firefighters were called to the 100 Block of Bay Avenue for a report of heavy smoke and flames coming from a two-story home. By 7:10 a.m. the rear of the building had collapsed.

"It's a two-story wood frame attached building, like a row home. The roof caved in the back of the building, the whole second floor of the fire building fell out like a 90-degree collapse, and there is a lot of damage to the attached building," said Fire Chief Dennis Brooks, adding the fire was deemed under control at 8 a.m.

Neighbor Rodrick Mazyck said he saw the flashing lights of police cars outside his Dr. Isaac Cole Plaza home while he was getting his children up for school at around 6:30 a.m. When he looked out the window, he saw the building across the street engulfed in flames.

"There were flames coming out of everywhere. The bottom windows, the top windows, everywhere," said Mazyck, 52.

Mazyck said the owners of the home live in a nearby housing complex, but that homeless people have been using the building.

"Hopefully nobody was in there now," he said.

Brooks said there were reports of people being trapped inside of the building, but a subsequent search of the building - including use of a cadaver dog - proved those reports false.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Brooks said it is currently being called suspicious.

"We've pretty much ruled out this being an accident," he said.