Dozens of people were left homeless Sunday when a fire tore through three small apartment buildings in New Jersey, police and firefighters said.
Seven firefighters were injured, authorities said, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening.
The fire started at about 6 p.m. in a four-story apartment building on 10th Street in Union City, officials said. It quickly spread to two adjacent buildings.
Two firefighters sustained back injuries when a banister collapsed, causing the pair to fall off a staircase, said Chief Frank Montagne of the North Hudson Fire Department. Information about their condition wasn't available.
Union City Police officers Frank Depinto and Jose Ascencio were patrolling the area when they spotted smoke coming from the buildings. They rushed into the burning structure to alert residents.
"We went to the second floor and took a person from that floor," he told NBC 4 New York. "We (then) went up to the third floor and took someone out."
There were no reports of injuries to residents.
