24 residents left homeless, firefighter struck by debris after quick-moving fire in Paterson
PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two dozen people are without a home after a quick-moving fire ripped through two multi-family homes in Paterson.
The fire erupted Sunday night on Getty Avenue and one firefighter was struck by falling debris.
Fire officials say when crews arrived to the scene, they were met with heavy smoke spewing from the second floor. That fire then quickly spread.
Firefighters deployed aggressive suppression efforts but the structure sustained catastrophic damage.
One Paterson firefighter was injured after being struck by falling debris while entering the building and he was transported to St. Joseph's University Medical Center.
He has since been released from the hospital.
Gloria Alvarez says it was the smoke alarm that woke her up around 11:30 Sunday night. She had he nephew and young grandchild in the house with her at the time.
Speaking to Eyewitness News in Spanish on Monday, she said her mattress was on fire as her family escaped the flames.
She said she has lost everything she owns in the fire.
A total of 20 residents from the primary building and four residents from the neighboring building have been displaced.
The Red Cross says it is helping eight families with emergency assistance.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Separately, in an unrelated incident on Berkshire Avenue in Paterson, police surrounded a house, negotiating with a resident who may have stabbed a relative and set it on fire early Monday morning just after midnight.
One man was taken out with an apparent stab wound that is not believed to be life-threatening.
After heavy fire was extinguished, police were negotiating with another resident who was apparently barricaded in the basement.
The cause of that fire is also under investigation.
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