6 firefighters injured, 31 residents displaced in multi-house fire in Paterson, NJ

PATERSON, N.J. (WABC) -- Six firefighters were injured in two different but nearby house fires in Passaic County, New Jersey, that left dozens of people displaced.

The first fire broke out at about 1 p.m. Wednesday on Godwin Avenue in Paterson.

The fire started in one house and spread to four others. Firefighters said the homes are wood-framed structures and there's not much distance between the homes, so the fire was able to spread easily and quickly.

At the same time firefighters were battling the first fire, a second fire broke out at three abandoned homes on Rosa Parks Avenue down the street.

Fire departments from surrounding areas responded to help fight the fires.

In all, six firefighters suffered minor injures -- one has a knee injury, another a contusion and the rest smoke or heat-related injuries.

Thirty-one people who lived in the homes on Godwin were displaced as a result of the fire. No residents were injured.

There's no word yet what started the fires.

"We got an initial call at 12:55 for a report of a structure fire at 175 Godwin Avenue," said Paterson Fire Chief Michael Postorino. "Upon arrival there were multiple structures burning. In total we have five structures burning from 175-179 Godwin Avenue."

Jenise Simmons lives in the house where the fire started. She wasn't home but she got a frantic call from her mother. "And she said the house is on fire, me and the kids are outside, pj's, no shoes, it's gone, she kept telling me it's gone," said Simmons.

"I was coming home and I saw the smoke and everything. I was thinking it was my house, I see that it was four houses that caught on fire," said resident Howard Lowery.

Firefighters are looking into the cause, including talk at the scene that a child may have been playing with a lighter.

As firefighters battled the blaze, a block away three abandoned homes went up in flames.

"So we needed obviously more resources to fight that fire as well. So at this point, we have all Paterson units, most of Passaic County assisting us at both locations," said Postorino.

Many families are dealing with the loss of their homes but grateful to be OK. "They had to go in and rescue my daughter's cat, she's crying for her cat. She is only 6, she doesn't know what's going on. All she understood is that her cat was trapped in the fire," said Simmons.

The cat is OK. Red Cross personnel is talking to the displaced families to get them shelter for the night and the days to come.