A fierce fire tore through several buildings in New Jersey on Friday night, injuring six firefighters and forcing numerous residents from their homes, according to various reports.
The blaze ignited at approximately 10:30 p.m. within a commercial building on Jefferson Street in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood. It quickly spread to four adjacent structures, including at least three multifamily residences, as reported by CBS New York and PIX11.
Dramatic video footage captured the intense flames shooting through windows, accompanied by the sound of smoke alarms echoing throughout the affected block. Over 100 firefighters battled for hours to bring the raging fire under control.
“I noticed smoke emerging from the building,” witness Jose Marte shared with PIX11.
“When I approached, I saw families and pets escaping. There were lots of children,” he added.
One resident recounted having just moments to grab her two daughters and flee, while another described how the fire erupted through the building, bursting windows and consuming entire floors in mere minutes.
The fire, which was reportedly placed under control before 3:30 a.m., left six firefighters hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
About 60 terrified residents escaped unharmed but are now figuring out their next steps.
“There’s barely anything inside. The roof is collapsed, everything,” resident Jackie Calva, who has lived in one of the damaged buildings with her family for over 10 years, told CBS.
“I really hope that it’s salvable, it’s fixable, and hopefully we’ll go back eventually. You don’t ever think it’s you until it actually happens to you.”
Displaced residents returned to their gutted homes Saturday morning, cleaning up debris from the blaze and saving what little they could recover in plastic bags along the sidewalk, PIX11 reported.
The American Red Cross has reportedly assisted at least 15 families with temporary lodging, clothing, food and other immediate needs.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
