The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. Thursday at the rear of a home on Garfield Avenue and spread to two others.
The flames forced some people to jump out of second-floor windows to get to safety.
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One man who was able to escape the flames spoke to Eyewitness News.
"I looked out the window and it was just a giant wall of flames," said Patrick Gillian. "It was right there in front of my face."
Gillian was able to escape on his own. Firefighters were able to rescue his cat and also a dog.
"She wasn't breathing so I had to give her CPR and water, she's doing well, she's a little old, she won't let me go," Gillian said.
Five residents from the home where the fire started were taken to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment.
One woman's injuries were described as serious.
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The Red Cross said one of its Disaster Action Teams is assisting three families, 15 people in all, who have been displaced from their homes.
There was no immediate word what caused the fire.
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