No one was injured in a North Ward home fire that quickly spread to an adjacent residence Sunday, a Newark Fire Department spokesman said.
Firefighters received a call at 7:13 pm on a report of a fire at 323 Summer Ave., Capt. John Brown said. The fire jumped to 325 Summer Ave., which has been unoccupied since just Friday, when the last resident moved out, Brown added.
The fire went to three alarms within 20 minutes and was brought under control around 8:30 pm.
The seven adults and three children at home at 323 Summer Ave. all escaped safely, Brown also said. The dwelling, which has three apartments, is uninhabitable, Brown confirmed. Information about the condition of 325 Summer was not immediately available.
Thick smoke was billowing from the top floor windows at 323 Summer Ave. around 7:45 pm Sunday and more smoke was seen coming from a top corner of 325 Summer Ave. Hundreds of people were looking on as firefighters battled the blaze while mounted on ladders and from a pumper truck parked in front of the dwellings. Firefighters also entered an adjoining home on the other side of 323 Summer to make sure that home had not ignited.
“The guys did a textbook job to keep this fire from spreading,” Brown said.
Naiba Werdi was in her backyard next door to the homes when she heard someone scream “fire,” she said, adding that she saw flames shooting out of a top floor rear window at 323 Summer Ave.
“Smoke was coming into my house. Burning pieces of shingle were coming down. It was scary,” she said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday night.
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