5 Killed In North Jersey Fire

PATERSON, NJ — Five people were killed, including three children, in a Halloween night house fire in Paterson, according to officials.

Shortly before 10 p.m. on Friday, the Paterson Fire Department was dispatched to 15 Emerson Ave. for a reported structure fire, the agency said in a news release. While en route, the department received multiple 911 calls reporting that people were trapped on the top floor of the home.

Paterson Fire Chief Alex Alicea said the fire spread quickly from the lower floor to other parts of the building due to strong winds in the area, according to an ABC News report.

Fire crews battled the flames and searched the residence, where they found five people on the second floor. The occupants, two adults and three children, died from their injuries, officials said.

The children killed were 14, 12 and 7 years old, according to a CBS New York report citing the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office. The two adults were identified as a 39-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman.

Two firefighters were also taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center for evaluation, officials said.

Alicea said that several other people who lived in the building survived but are now displaced due to the fire, according to reports. The American Red Cross is assisting the residents.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.