Firefighters Injured Battling 2 Separate Fires, Intense Heat In Paterson
PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A fire in Paterson, New Jersey ripped through several row homes Wednesday, leaving 31 people homeless.
As CBS2's Christine Sloan reported, firefighters were not only battling that fire, but also one a few blocks away.
Fire officials said the fire spread quickly because of the wooden structure of the row homes.
"The girl came downstairs banging on the door, saying get out the house, the house is on fire," said victim Joyce Davis.
Davis grabbed her grandchildren and rushed outside just minutes before the fire engulfed her home.
"I didn't want to die. I didn't want them to die. What any normal person would think when their house is on fire," said Davis.
Firefighters could be seen on ladders near the tops of roofs, battling the flames that started inside 177 Godwin Ave. and quickly spread to four other row homes.
"(Sloan: Where are you going?) I don't know, I don't know. I am just sitting here, waiting to find out, to make an assessment to see how bad the first floor is; to see what I can take with me," said victim Milton Robinson.
It was also a tough day for firefighters as they fought flames in the intense summer heat at two different locations, including one at two abandoned homes just a couple of streets over.
A half-dozen firefighters were injured, Sloan reported.
"They range from a couple of knee injuries, I know," said one firefighter with the Paterson Fire Department. "We had at least three or four heat exhaustion."
There is still no official word on the cause of the fire on Godwin Avenue.
Sloan: "There was a rumor going around by the people who live there that perhaps a kid playing with matches may have started the fire?"
Fire Chief Michael Postorino: "I don't have any of that information at this point. Obviously all of these incidents will be investigated fully."
Fire officials said the two abandoned homes that caught fire at the second location on Rosa Parks Boulevard will be torn down.
Several blocks in the neighborhood remained closed Wednesday evening as firefighters continued to battle both fires.
