A fire that broke out in a home in Paterson, New Jersey, on Friday night quickly spread to two neighboring houses, leaving all three no longer livable. The blaze forced 33 people out of their homes. Despite the scale of the fire, no residents were hurt.
According to authorities, the fire began in one home before jumping to the two houses next door. All three were left uninhabitable by the flames. Firefighters faced a fast-moving scene as the fire moved between the closely spaced properties.
The fire ended up forcing 33 people from their homes. Firefighters said getting all of them out to safety had been a challenge. Part of the difficulty, they said, was that some residents did not even realize their house was on fire.
One firefighter was being treated after the response, according to officials. He had inhaled fumes from chlorine that had been stored at one of the homes. The firefighter was expected to be okay.
Even with the fire spreading across three homes and dozens of people caught up in it, authorities reported no injuries among the residents. The safe outcome came down to the effort to get everyone out as the flames spread. It marked a difficult night that could have been far worse.
With all three homes left uninhabitable, the 33 displaced residents faced an uncertain night away from their houses. Crews remained at the scene as the immediate emergency was brought under control. Authorities had not released a cause of the fire.