2 Buildings Collapse, 8 Firefighters Injured In Downtown Jersey City Blaze: Officials

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Eight firefighters were sent to the hospital and two buildings collapsed early Thursday morning after a fire began in a vacant structure in downtown Jersey City, officials said.

The fire, in a vacant three-family home at Fourth and Monmouth streets — in the historic Harsimus Cove neighborhood — began shortly after 1:30 a.m., said city public safety spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione.

The blaze then spread to a vacant two-family house next door.

Both structures — at 319 Fourth St. and 321 Fourth St. — collapsed within a half hour of firefighters arriving, she said.

Local residents reported possible trespassers who they said were staying within the vacant building at the time of the fire, she said.

Responders searched the collapsed buildings for any possible victims, but none were found, she said.

The Red Cross helped relocated five people living in neighboring buildings, Wallace-Scalcione said.

She said seven firefighters and one fire captain were taken to the local hospital for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.

"As a result of the JCFD’s swift and commendable work, the occupied neighboring residential buildings sustained only exterior damage, limited to the walls just feet away from the burning buildings," she said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Trespassers?

Councilwoman Amy DeGise gave an account of the fire in a statement Thursday.

"Last night, Jack got a call about a fire on Fourth Street," she said. "He could see the smoke from our window in Greenville and rushed to the scene. Jersey City experienced a horrible three-alarm fire in a vacant building that spread on both sides. Families are displaced but safe, and six of our finest were injured while battling the flames for hours. Because of their efforts, the fire was brought under control and no lives were lost."

She noted, "If there is a vacant building on your street, please report if it is missing signage or if people are trespassing to Resident Response or the Division of Housing Preservation. Please keep the JCFD and the Fourth St. Community in your thoughts today."

Wallace-Scalcione said that both buildings were wood frame structures.

Patch will update this story if more details are released.