The Jersey City Fire Department responded to three multi-alarm blazes in a span of seven hours between late last night into early, leaving dozens of residents displaced, Fire Chief Steven McGill said at a press conference this morning.
“This is the third multiple-alarm fire we had in seven hours throughout the evening. We had one at 10 o’clock, p.m., on Rutgers Avenue, where 12 people were displaced in that fire,” McGill said on the sidewalk across from where the worst fire took place, 63 Wegman Parkway.
“We had a second alarm in a high rise, kitchen fire, at around 1:30 in the morning, so it was a very busy day for the firefighters of Jersey City. They did an excellent job, as we expect them to do.”
McGill added that 21 people were displaced, five of them children, as a result of the Wegman Parkway blaze, but was unsure how many, if any, were displaced due to the kitchen fire.
Fortunately, no firefighters or civilians suffered any injuries beyond mild smoke inhalation, McGill said.
The chief added that while the workload was certainly heavy, it was nothing the department hadn’t dealt with before.
“Yeah, it’s taxing, no doubt about it. If you’re into sports, playing two games in a row, you’re gonna get a little tired. We have six companies through the city, we have a very aggressive department, and guys and girls like to get in there and fight fires – they did an excellent job.”
McGill also said that while all three incidents are under investigation, none of the fires appear to be suspicious at this time.
