A three-alarm fire in the Jersey City Heights late last night has left nine residents displaced, six people injured, and four cats killed, an official said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The Jersey City Fire Department responded to 10 Sherman Place last night at about 10:45 p.m., according to city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione.
The first call to come in was from a police officer who stated there was a working fire in the outside rear yard, possibly from rubbish against the building.
Upon arrival, JCFD firefighters observed Jersey City police officers removing occupants from the building and getting them to safety since the fire extended up to all three floors, with heavy fire on the third floor. Within minutes, firefighters had the blaze under control.
Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh, who was on the scene and provided some video footage of the fire, said that Officers Jeannette Gormeley, Suzanne Gormeley, and Alexander Solis “extracted a woman who couldn’t walk and didn’t want to leave” the building.
Those three officers were a part of the Special Improvement District (SID) police detail, the councilman said.
Two residents were transported to the Jersey City Medical Center and released, four police officers were treated at the JCMC for smoke inhalation and release, while four cats were also found deceased at the scene, Wallace-Scalcione said.
Additionally, the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management assisted the Red Cross in relocating nine residents and the investigation is ongoing.
