An early Saturday morning fire in Newark forced about 40 people out of their homes.

Officials say the fire on Clifton Avenue started around 2 a.m.

The fire is believed to have started in an empty building before it jumped to a residential building.

About 100 Newark firefighters responded along with the help from Jersey City, Bloomfield and Montclair fire houses.

It took crews several hours to extinguish the flames.

The Red Cross says it's helping about a dozen families.