Jersey City Fire Injures Six Firefighters, Leaves 18 Homeless

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Six firefighters were hospitalized, and have been released, after responding to an early Wednesday morning fire on Irving Street in Jersey City. Two of the firefighters suffered injuries after being shocked by an electric line that fell while they were battling the blaze, according to Stan Eason, a spokesperson for Jersey City.

The five-alarm fire, which started just before 3 a.m., began at a two-family residence at 10 Irving Street before spreading to two adjacent structures on each side. There were no civilian injuries, though eighteen residents from six families were left homeless, according to the Jersey City spokesperson.

The fire began in a three-foot alleyway between two of the buildings, WABC reported.

According to the Jersey City spokesperson, six firefighters, one of them a captain, were injured and treated at Jersey City Medical Center for injuries ranging from smoke inhalation, minor burns and treatment for electric shock.

The fire, according to Eason, was raised to fifth-alarm status due to the volume of fire and manpower injuries. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, the city said.

WABC reported that the Red Cross is providing assistance to the families displaced by the fire.