Officials: 4 injured, including 3 firefighters, in Elizabeth fire

Sixteen people were also displaced from the fire that started in the rear kitchen at Criollo's Restaurant.

Amanda Lee

Jun 11, 2024, 2:08 AM

Updated 194 days ago

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Sixteen people were displaced and four others were injured due to a 4-alarm fire in Elizabeth on the 1100 of Elizabeth Ave., officials say.
According to the Elizabeth Fire Department, the fire started in the rear kitchen at Criollo's Restaurant on the first floor and then spread to the apartment units above it. Fire crews responded between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday evening to smoke and flames coming from the roof of the building.
They say three firefighters and one tenant were taken to the hospital. Those firefighters are being treated for heat exhaustion and the chief said he's unsure about the tenant.
All 11 crews from Elizabeth were called to the scene along with mutual aid. Deputy Chief Edgar Ruiz told News 12 "A lot of smoke, heat and there was some hidden fire. The guys were working for a long period of time and they needed some relief so just for safety reasons I needed more personnel on scene so I had to upgrade it to four alarms."
He told us that by the time crews arrived at the scene residents had self-evacuated and are now being helped by the Red Cross. The investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing.