Passaic fire leaves dozens homeless; 2 firefighters, 1 resident injured, mayor says

PASSAIC, N.J. (PIX11) -- A massive fire in Passaic, N.J., left dozens of residents homeless on Saturday.

Mayor Hector Lora said Sunday that two firefighters and one resident were taken to the hospital, but they have been released. Around 60-80 people were displaced. 

Cesar Martinez and his mother, Leticia Rodriguez, have lost everything.  

“The hallway was really awful; there was a lot of smoke, it was pitch black, and we couldn’t see anything, so we had to get out through the fire escape. There was no other way,” said Martinez.

Their apartment building on 10 School St., where they lived for 22 years, was consumed by a five-alarm fire Saturday afternoon. The building partially collapsed, and dozens of people were left without a home.  

“As of today,  we have 27 individuals that cannot go to their apartment building. Building 10 is a complete loss,” said Lora.

Residents from one of the adjacent buildings, like Edwin Vega, remain in limbo pending an inspection to determine if they can go back in.

“Pretty old buildings,” he stated.

Additionally, he does not feel safe going back.

Eladia has lived on this block for four decades.

“When they tried to open it, nothing was coming out, and everyone from the corner was yelling ‘Water, water’ and they couldn’t because they didn’t have enough. Those hydrants should have water for things like this,” she claimed she witnessed when firefighters came in.

Lora told PIX11 News that the number one priority was to ensure everyone's safety and prevent the fire from spreading.

“Fire hydrants were working there was obvious video and photos of hoses and the water working,” said Lora.

PIX11 News asked Lora if he would follow up to ensure the fire hydrants were working.

“Yes, as always, we will follow up on every detail. There are always meetings after a fire to assess how things have occurred,” Lora answered.

Lora also expressed gratitude for the heroic efforts of firefighters, including those of other cities such as Paterson and Clifton.

“This fire occurred in one of more density populated areas, one of the more low-income areas in the city,” Lora said.