Firefighter Injured But Family, Pets, Church Saved In Jersey City Heights Blaze: Officials

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A firefighter was injured and a family of three was left homeless on Monday when a blaze tore through a Jersey City home and spread to an attached church, officials said.

Firefighters also rescued two cats and a few birds from the home at 165 Bowers St., which is connected to Trinity Baptist Church, public safety spokeswoman Kim Wallace-Scalcione said.

The firefighter suffered minor burns to his face and was treated at the local hospital, Wallace-Scalcione said. None of the residents of the home were injured and the cats were examined by a veterinarian and determined to be in good health, she said.

The fire was reported just before 6 p.m. Monday, and firefighters saw flames in the back of the second and third floors of the house, she said, along with flames near the roof of Trinity Baptist Church, whose congregation dates back to 1888, according to its website.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire before it could spread further into the church and to an attached building at 163 Bower St., Wallace-Scalcione said.

The street is in the Heights section of the city, atop the Palisades cliffs overlooking Hoboken.

The Red Cross New Jersey said the family was with temporary housing, food and clothing. Jersey City's Office of Emergency Management also helped, Wallace-Scalcione said.

Wallace-Scalcione did not say how much damage the church sustained but said the damage could have been much worse if not for a quick response, fire officials told her.

"The Jersey City Fire Department once again did a great job extinguishing a heavy fire condition," she said. "The JCFD's quick and aggressive fire attack saved both buildings with no civilian injuries."