Twenty-seven people from seven
families have been displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross after
a fire Sunday night ripped through two homes in Paterson.
The fire happened around 10 p.m. on
Barnert Place. The two homes suffered heavy interior damage.
Video from a viewer on Twitter
shows the flames pouring through the home. The smoke can be seen billowing from
just beyond the apartment buildings.
“It’s always the worst day of your
life when you are displaced from your home,” says Matthew Teter, with the
American Red Cross.
There is still no word on a cause
of the fire or if there are any injuries. The Red Cross is assisting
them all with temporary shelter, food and clothing.
“I cannot say enough about our
volunteers,” says Teter. “Keep in mind, most of the people responding to these
incidents throughout the weekend are volunteers, part of our disaster
action team serving Paterson.”
Firefighters in Paterson also dealt
with a fire
Sunday morning, from which they rescued a father and his 3-year-old
daughter from flames, as well as a third fire
Friday night. The
fire Sunday morning destroyed a three-story apartment building on Fair Street.
“Thankfully no injuries at this
time, which says a lot when 67 people are displaced, as well as all the
firefighters involved,” says Mayor Andre Sayegh.
In all, 67 people in Paterson are
getting Red Cross help from the three weekend fires. Paterson’s Health &
Human Services Department is helping as well.
The mayor reminds residents to
make sure smoke alarms are working and to be careful not to accidentally start
a fire.