Firefighters battled a four-alarm fire in Paterson.

They say the fire started after 1 p.m on Cianci Street.

Officials say the fire spread to three buildings, which consisted of six businesses and 19 apartments. They say the buildings will most likely need to be demolished.

Authorities say the cause is under investigation, but it has been considered suspicious. They say this is because the fire seemed to spread at an unusually fast rate.

Officials say around 50 residents have been displaced.

The Red Cross says it's placing residents who lost their homes in non-congregate shelters to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. This means they will be put into different hotel rooms to avoid close contact.

Firefighters from multiple units stepped in to help. They say the hot weather added an extra challenge to the situation.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh says he smelled the fire from his office and was on the scene.