10:30 a.m. Update: Fire Rips Through Long Branch Condominium Complex Building

A fire ripped through the third floor of a Renaissance on the Ocean condominium building at 33 Riviera Drive in Long Branch just after 11 p.m. Tuesday night, according to police communications.

The fire quickly spread to the outside of the multi-story condominium, which was reportedly being renovated and vacant, and firefighters were commanded to evacuate the building.

It took firefighters nearly three hours to extinguish the blaze, which was reportedly under control just after 2 a.m., Wednesday morning. 

Police blocked off a portion of Ocean Boulevard between Brighton Avenue and West End Court, just west of the location of the fire.

Smoke could be seen and smelled from several blocks away, and flames were shooting from the building for several minutes.

Long Branch Police Detective Sgt. Jeff Pilone said the building was unsafe to enter last night, so an investigation into the fire's cause is currently being held. Long Branch Police Detective Scott Beaver and Long Branch Fire Marshal Kevin J. Hayes Sr. are leading the investigation.

Hayes was investigating the fire when contacted this morning and was not available to comment.