A New Jersey mayor is questioning the fire department's response to a devastating fire that killed a toddler and destroyed five buildings, including a church.
Union City Mayor Brian Stack says when the wind-swept embers of a fire burning through four buildings set the historic steeple of Saints Joseph and Michael Church on fire a block away, fire trucks didn't move fast enough to that block.
"I wasn't happy with the response to the church fire," he said Tuesday.
"I would never criticize the hardworking firefighters who were instrumental in limiting any further casualties," he added. "My criticism has to do with the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Administration."
Fire survivor Maria Lituma said she barely escaped her burning apartment building and also questioned the response time.
"Nothing worked. The fire alarm didn't work, the fire response was late," she said. "It's very disappointing because we lost everything."
But some witnesses disagreed.
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"They did a great job. They got here as fast as they could but the building was already gone," said Daniel Peek. "They should be commended for what they did."
North Hudson Fire and Rescue, a paid department serving five communities, said in response: "These fires were incredibly difficult to handle, and the fact that the block was saved and the fire was contained without spreading to any other residences in the area is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved."
One-year-old Eddie Gonzalez Jr. was killed in the fire. Neighbors said his father, Eddie Sr., tried to run back into his second-floor apartment to save him.
"It was black smoke. He couldn't go back," said Lituma.
Firefighters and investigators continued to comb through the wreckage to look for clues Tuesday. Federal investigators were also on the scene, along with the explosive and fire division of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau.
Hudson County officials say federal investigators are needed because they have accelerant-sniffing dogs and other sophisticated equipment to figure out how and why the fire started.
