Squatters eyed in Paterson 2-alarm vacant house fire
There were no people in the house at the time of the blaze.
More Stories
A fire at a vacant home in Paterson was extinguished by responding crews on Hamilton Avenue.
"This is a vacant property, so we suspect there were squatters. There were two dogs inside. Thankfully…firefighters were able to rescue both of those dogs," said Andre Sayegh, the mayor of Paterson.
There were no people in the house at the time of the blaze. The two alarm fire - which means Paterson requested additional manpower , did cause some visible damage to the front of the home, including the front steps and balcony on the second story. Neighbors that woke up to the smoke today were not surprised that something happened there.
"When we got up this morning, I saw the smoke and all this excitement…We know that the people that move in there are drug addicts. It's an abandoned house," said Marlene, a neighbor.
"It's a house that residents on this block have been requesting the city to take action,” said another Paterson resident.
Inspectors surveyed the damage to the home. The mayor said he is not aware of any injuries from the fire.
There is a school directly across the street from the vacant home, Public School No. 6. The director of Paterson public schools says the students were not impacted at all. The fire is still being investigated by police.
