An apartment building under construction in Auburn was destroyed after a fire Sunday night.

Auburn fire crews were dispatched shortly after 10 p.m. to 138 Mount Auburn Ave., next to BJ’s Wholesale Club, where four, 80-unit buildings were being constructed.

Firefighters found heavy fire on all four floors of the eastern side of one of the buildings.  

Flying debris from the fire started multiple spot fires at the grounds of surrounding properties, according to the Auburn Fire Department.

However, no other structures were involved in the fire and no injuries were reported.

More than 100 first responders from 13 different departments helped fight the blaze.

Firefighters were still at the scene the following morning, putting out hot spots and assessing the extent of the damage. 

Mount Auburn Avenue will be closed from BJ’s Wholesale Club to Gracelawn Road until further notice. Auburn Fire Department says there will be access to most of the businesses along the road but advises residents to seek alternate routes.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been notified and will investigate the fire’s cause.

The building had been under construction for the last 18 months and was nearing completion, according to Auburn Mayor Jeffrey Harmon.

“We need additional housing of all types, and this complex was a market-rate complex that was one piece in completing the challenge in front of us,” said Harmon. 

The city has seen a significant increase in market-rate units being built over the last four years, with 200 currently under construction or have received permitting, and 500 being approved over a four-year span, according to Auburn Planning and Permitting Director Eric Cousens.

“It’s a huge loss,” Angel Rundstrom, a Sabattus resident, said on Monday morning, speaking near the site of the fire. “They were building these apartments for people to live in. Right now there’s people on our streets that are homeless and have nowhere to go.”