The fire appeared to have started in a bedroom on the building's eighth floor. While most residents were allowed back inside after crews brought the incident under control, those living in several corner units remained displaced.
The evacuation began around 5 a.m., when residents were jolted awake by pounding on their doors.
"Grab your coats and just leave. Or just grab whatever and just leave," resident Deep Halvawala said. "We didn't even have a minute to do anything."
Another resident, Perry Lippowitsch, said false alarms were common in the building - but this time the danger was real.
"It was pretty scary. Somebody banging on your door. Fire alarms go off a lot. It's usually a false alarm. This time it wasn't," he said.
Lippowitsch said he rushed to reach his elderly mother in her unit.
"Grabbed the shirt on my back. Went to get out of there. I got my 93-year-old mom, made sure she got out. At least we're all safe," he said.
Fire officials said several residents with mobility challenges required assistance evacuating.
"We took them out on balconies, covered them in blankets. We kept a firefighter with them," Acting Chief Paul Hess said. "We said we're going back. We had to be able to get them down an evacuation stairwell."
Five residents were evaluated on scene and did not need medical treatment, according to city officials.
Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans said crews are well acquainted with the property. The high-rise, built in 1966, was the site of a deadly fire in 1969 that killed four people.
Evans said the department continues to respond to frequent calls at the building.
"There are no sprinklers here," Evans said. "This was a fire that was manpower intensive. The fire went to a fourth alarm."
Officials said the building is exempt from current sprinkler requirements due to its age.
The condo association president told Action News the property is up to code on all required fire alarms and extinguishers, adding that installing sprinklers now would likely cost millions of dollars.
Public Safety Director Sean Riggin credited firefighters for preventing more serious injuries.
"The speed with which the fire department put this fire out - there's absolutely no doubt it saved lives," he said.
The injured police officer was treated for smoke inhalation and later released. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.