A massive fire in Passaic has left dozens without a home.

Every tenant in the School Street apartments has been accounted for, but no one from the three affected buildings had been allowed back inside as of Saturday night.

“Right now, it’s going to be more than an inconvenience,” Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said. “But we’ve avoided the major tragedies, which are losses of life.”

The smoke was visible for miles along Route 21. The smell lingered through downtown Passaic into the night. Portions of School Street temporarily flooded as crews sprayed down the five-alarm fire for about five hours.

“This is a very stubborn fire,” Lora said. “Even if the fire wasn’t in your building, you’re not getting in right now.”

Lora said the fire began in unit 10 on the third floor. That unit partially collapsed. The two adjacent buildings were structurally compromised.

The Red Cross was assisting the affected residents as of Saturday night. They were given shelter at City Hall before Saturday's storms passed through.

“They have lost everything,” Lora said. “They just want to be home, they want to be comfortable, they want to be in their own beds. This is one of the more densely-populated areas of our city. One of our more low-income areas of the city. There’s going to be a lot of need.”

Despite the close proximity of the buildings, fire crews from several towns were able to keep the flames from spreading.

“Without their assistance, we would be looking at an entire block up in flames,” Lora said.

Two firefighters and one resident were taken to the hospital.

Lora said heat exhaustion was a concern.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.