Newark fire latest: Homes to be demolished after fire displaces dozens

A fire captain has face and back injuries and remains hospitalized in stable condition as of Sunday according to authorities.

Larry Epstein, Tom Krosnowski and Rose Shannon

Nov 16, 2024, 10:16 PM

Updated 13 hr ago

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More than two dozen Newark residents are without a home after an overnight fire Friday.
Four firefighters were hospitalized as the buildings collapsed. A fire captain has face and back injuries and remains hospitalized in stable condition as of Sunday according to authorities.
Two firefighters each sustained arm injuries. One firefighter injured their ankle. All three have been released.
Tom Krosnowski's coverage from Saturday:
"Our RIT teams, who have been trained for this specific type of moment, acted quickly to remove, package and transport our firefighters that were injured to University Hospital," said Newark Fire Chief Del Ortiz. "Right now, we're just happy that by the actions of our fire department, we didn't lose any life in this structure."
More than two dozen people are now without a home. The Red Cross is assisting seven families.
Fire officials said the blaze began in the middle property, which was believed to be abandoned. How the fire started there - just before midnight Friday - is unclear.
"That's going to be part of the investigation process, and we'll come back with a full statement when we get our determinations on that," Ortiz said.