Seventeen people were displaced and two firefighters were hospitalized after a multiple-alarm blaze broke out in Paterson on the 4th of July holiday.
The fire was reported to officials shortly after 5 p.m. at a home on Southard Street and required “a very big response,” said Jerry Speziale, Paterson’s public safety director.
The fire was knocked down by 6:45 p.m., but fire personnel remained on scene to keep an eye out for hotspots, Speziale said.
After the blaze, two firefighters were transported to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center for minor injuries, officials said.
The four-alarm fire also displaced 17 people in seven families, said Diane Concannon, communications director for American Red Cross New Jersey Region.
American Red Cross responded Friday night to provide the families with immediate needs like temporary lodging, food, and clothing, said Concannon.
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