A four-alarm blaze in Bayonne displaced eight residents, with the Red Cross and Office of Emergency Management providing them care.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
At approximately 9:49 a.m. this morning, the Bayonne Fire Department was dispatched to 144 West 5th Street on a report of fire, according to Fire Chief Keith Weaver.
Arriving companies found heavy fire conditions in the rear of both 144 and 142 West 5th Street. Both structures are two-and-a-half story, two-family homes.
Using multiple hand lines, firefighters worked to contain the fire to the original two involved buildings. The fire progressed to four alarms and was declared under control at 10:57 a.m.
Firefighters and police officers were able to safely evacuate occupants and pets from both structures, and no injuries were reported to civilians. One Bayonne firefighter was transported to a local hospital for treatment of a minor injury.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the fire does not appear to be suspicious in nature at this time. The Bayonne Building Department has determined both structures to be temporarily uninhabitable.
The eight displaced occupants from 142 and 144 West 5th Street are under the care of the Bayonne Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross.
“Our firefighters arrived within minutes of receipt of the initial 911 call and used their skill and training to quickly bring this large fire under control,” Weaver added.
“The houses in this neighborhood, as with most houses in Bayonne, are very close in proximity to each other, which can cause the fire to quickly spread. I would like to thank our mutual aid partners from Hudson County that assisted at the fire scene and provided firehouse coverage.”
