Harrison fire guts home, displaces families
HARRISON (WABC) -- Firefighters battled a raging fire that gutted a house in Hudson County, New Jersey, early Wednesday.
The flames broke out around 3 a.m. at a multi-family home on South 5th Street in Harrison.
Responders attacked the blaze from multiple angles as heavy flames shot out windows and through the roof and thick smoke plumed into the night sky.
Six families are believed to live inside, and authorities said all either escaped or were rescued without injury. They were bused away from the scene.
Witnesses said firefighters started banging on doors in neighboring buildings, telling residents to get out in case the fire spread.
One neighbor said that when she got outside and saw the fire and smoke, she was overwhelmed by the sight.
"We left the building, we stop here and see this huge fire, and it was terrifying," she said. "I've never been that close to an actual fire. I thought for a minute our house was going to burn down...smoke, flame and fire and all that stuff, and it was really terrifying."
The fire was contained by 5:30 a.m. without spreading to other buildings, but the battle to put out hotspots extended well into the afternoon.
The building is likely a total loss and suffered heavy damage as the fire burned through both the front and back of the structure.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
