Updated: Two Toddlers Among Five Dead in Vailsburg Fire

Two children were among five people who died early Friday morning in a three-alarm blaze in Newark's Vailsburg section, officials confirmed.  The fire was on Brookdale Avenue, some 11 blocks from the South Orange town line. South Orange residents report hearing sirens during the night.

A 3-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy, as well as man, male teenager and unidentified person, were killed in a fast-moving fire that spread across several residences on Brookdale Avenue in the city's West Ward, according to Fire Director Fateen Ziyad. The bodies were found on the third story of the 33-35 Brookdale Ave., a six-family home with two apartments on each of its three floors.

Fire officials confirmed a fifth death, discovered on the third floor of 33-35 Brookdale Ave., to Patch shortly after 2 p.m.

The blaze broke out at 1:41 a.m. inside a vacant three-story complex at 31 Brookdale Ave. and quickly engulfed adjacent residences. The address where the fire originated was not in any open code violations and received a certificate of occupancy in 2006, according to Newark Business Adminstrator Julien Neals.

The empty home was also properly secured and boarded up following endless complaints of squatters by the Brookdale Block Association, according to West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice.

Still, he said the tragic fire raises a larger issue among councilmembers about the staggering amount of vacant properties in the city.

"... The absentee landlords have to be held to a higher standard, have to be held to a higher degree of responsibility, and we'll be looking at some legislative action to make sure that actually happens," he said.

Last year, officials But that ordinance may need to be beefed up in wake of the fatal blaze, said Rice.

"My gumption tells me that we may have to do something that says if you're an absentee landlord sitting on property that is not rehabilitative or brought back on the tax roll," he said, "that we should investigate whether we can take the property ... for the health, safety and welfare of the neighborhood. I think we'd be on good ground for that legally."

Neals quashed earlier reports of low water pressure in battling the blaze, saying the water and sewer department confirmed there was adequate pressure.

"Because of the volume of water that was required, however, there was water that was diverted from other water sources in the area so there would be adquate pressure to battle the fire continuously," he said.

As many as 55 firefighters battled the early-morning blaze, which remains under investigation by arson detectives.

Edward Bullock, who lives next door to the now-gutted building, said it was when his cousin, Donald Huffin, came home at 1:30 a.m. when he smelled smoke and evacuated the home with his three children and two grandchildren. Flames could be seen shooting out of the third-story windows as people ran screaming from the burning house, Bullock said.

"I've never seen nothing like that in my life," said Huffin, who managed to grab his Rottweiler and medication before evacuating. "It started up top and worked its way down. In several minutes, the entire place was engulfed in flames."

Bullock said he watched as one man attempted to run back into the burning building to rescue his children.

"By the time he went up, that third floor was just gone," said Bullock. "He was just astonished. That's a rough feeling."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. One family, including a mother, father and two young children, were taken to the hospital with injuries, authorities said. The family is in stable condition at this time, according to Fire Chief John Centanni, who said detectives have been to the hospital to do interviews. He would not say if the family was related to any of the victims who perished.

Sixteen people have been displaced and five homes sustained damage, including the side of Bullock's home, which he's owned for 20 years. Heat from the inferno melted the plastic siding of his home, which smelled of smoke.

Still, Bullock was thankful he and his loved ones survived.

"We are truly blessed," he said of managing to get his family out on time.

Newark firefighters as well as officials from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and PSE&G, remained on scene Friday morning preparing for the second part of the investigation of the charred residences.

Rice was also on hand, donning a plastic poncho over a gold polo, to help neighbors carry suit cases stuffed with belongings out of the still-smoldering building. He said two of the women burned out of their homes are cheerleading coaches in the West Ward.

Rice said he was glad that conditions didn't make the fire worse than it was, noting that it was a mostly windless mornining and cooler than it had been earlier ths week. He also said, however, that the tragic incident was "bad enough."

He praised city hall officials, first repsonders, and local grassroots organizations - including Stop Shootin', an anti-violence group - for their efforts in battling the blaze and assisting survivors. 

The city's Office of Emergency Management "has been in overdrive ... I have to tip my hat to the administration, too. The business administator, the corproration counsel, they've all been here. The fire director has been here all night. And I have to tip my hat to the firefighters."  

Rice urged anyone interested in helping to contact the city's Office of Emergency Management.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker called the fire a "tragic loss" for the entire city and offered his condolences to the affected families.

"As we continue to work on and investigate this incident, we are also doing everything we can to support the families who have been so severely impacted," he said in a statement.

[Editor's note: This story originally published at 8:08 a.m. Friday. It has since been updated.

It was previously reported 17 total people were displaced. That number has since been updated.]

This is a breaking news story. Check back on Patch for updates.