A major fire in Newark tore through multiple homes Thursday, displacing seven families and injuring three firefighters.

Officials say that the fire started in a three-story multifamily home on the 200 block of Chadwick Avenue in Newark’s South Ward. The fire started around 2 p.m. Officials say that the fire spread to the building next door as well.

It is believed that the fire started in the back of the building. Residents say they suspect that the fire was intentionally started.

“The landlord was upstairs. No one lives up there. They’re just fixing up the floor,” says displaced resident Marielis Andujar. “They were there, and they rushed out…and then a few minutes later, people were like, ‘Fire, fire.’"

Andujar says that she heard that the way the landlord came out of the apartment seemed to be suspicious.

“No one lives up there,” she says.

Three firefighters were taken to the hospital, according to officials. They are expected to be OK. The cause of the fire is under investigation.