Raging overnight fire spreads to multiple homes in Belleville, New Jersey
BELLEVILLE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A massive fire tore through two homes in Belleville early Thursday, lighting up the night sky and sending residents fleeing.
The fire broke out on Crescent Terrace just before 3:15 a.m. and spread to an adjacent home on the dead-end street.
One home, which appeared to have been under construction, collapsed while flames tore through the roof of a second home.
Burning trees and downed wires hampered firefighters and caused the flames to threaten adjacent homes on Maier Street, where two backyard sheds were damaged.
Firefighters also faced low water pressure as they battled the flames. Downed power lines created additional challenges for crews at the scene.
The wooden houses situated so closely together became like a tinder box for the flames to jump to the house next door. And the family that lives inside was seen bolting from the home in the middle of the darkness.
Police went door to door during the night to alert residents.
No one was injured in the fire, but the Belleville mayor said a neighbor died Thursday morning after experiencing a medical emergency.
One neighbor said they heard "popping noises" before seeing "a house up in flames and a huge plume of smoke."
Local streets were clogged with fire trucks as crews from neighboring communities responded to assist. Mutual aid came from Newark, where firefighters were simultaneously battling a separate fire, as well as Bloomfield and Nutley.
The families who lost everything they own are staying close to home as crews worked to put out hotspots and investigate the cause.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
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