Belleville Fire Leaves Five Homeless

A stubborn blaze in a two-story house left the home uninhabitable and grew so hot it melted the siding on the house next door.

Belleville firefighters responded to the fire on Harrison Street at 12:35 p.m. on Sunday and saw smoke coming from the rear of the house, according to a report prepared by Fire Lt. Scott Wentworth. The two-story wood-frame home had two apartments on each floor and the fire burned throughout the first and second floors towards the rear of the house.

Though nearby power lines and a tree made it difficult to access the house, Belleville firefighters went into the burning home and thoroughly searched the second floor after a woman living there said her husband might still be inside.

The man was not found and later appeared at the home unharmed.Two adults and four children were found to be living in the house and were relocated with the help of the American Red Cross, two of the apartments were vacant.

Belleville Fire Chief Robert Caruso said the five occupants were evacuated by firefighters and that the home was located near the Bloomfield border near Mill Street.

Firefighters cut holes in the roof to ventilate the fire, but the fire spread throughout the building and they were forced to evacuate. The building began to collapse and was later declared uninhabitable. Just to the left of the house was another building, separated by a three-foot alleyway. Firefighters knocked back the flames as they began to spread to the building next door.

One firefighter received a shoulder injury and was treated at a local hospital. The Belleville department was helped by fire personnel from Bloomfield, East Orange, Newark and Kearny.

The fire was declared under control at 4:30 p.m. and emergency personnel cleared the scene at 6 p.m. The Belleville Fire Dept. was assisted with additional coverage by the West Orange and North Arlington Fire Departments. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.