What to Know
- A multi-alarm fire broke out in a residential building in northern New Jersey Wednesday afternoon — and kept burning late into the night
- Firefighters were at the scene on the 200 block of Westfield Avenue in Elizabeth attempting to extinguish a fire that reached four alarms
- A spokesperson for the city of Elizabeth tells News 4 everyone was safely evacuated and no injuries were reported
A multi-alarm fire broke out in a residential building in northern New Jersey Wednesday afternoon — and kept burning late into the night.
Firefighters were at the scene on the 200 block of Westfield Avenue in Elizabeth attempting to extinguish the flames of a fire that broke out shortly before 4 p.m. at a duplex apartment building.
The fire eventually reached 4 alarms and involved two structures, according officials. At one point, firefighters sounded the evacuation alarm prompting them to fight the flames from the outside only.
Chopper 4 was over the scene where a multitude of firefighters, including on a ladder from above, could be seen dousing the flames in an attempt to bring the fire under control. Thick white smoke could be seen billowing from the scene.
A spokesperson for the city of Elizabeth tells News 4 everyone was safely evacuated and there are no reported injuries.
Firefighters couldn't battle flames from inside the home because part of the multi-family home had already collapsed, hindering efforts to fully extinguish the persistent flames.
The long-burning inferno, which still had flare-ups nearly eight hours after it began, forced many neighbors to leave their homes for the night.
There was no word on a cause for the fire, which crews will investigate as soon as it is finally put out for good.
