Raging fire in New Jersey overnight destroys home, causes hundreds of power outages
BAYONNE, N.J. -- A huge fire destroyed a home, damaged others and caused hundreds of power outages in New Jersey overnight.
Dramatic video shows the home in Bayonne fully engulfed in flames just before 11 p.m. Friday. It happened by the corner of West 11th Street and Avenue C.
"The neighbor's house was on fire, and by the time you know it, our house was on fire," a man next door said. "Bad, bad. Might, possibly, tear down."
Heat burned cars across the street
The fire was so strong that cars across the street were burned by the heat. Firefighters said they struggled to get the fire under control, but did finally after three hours.
"They had to distance themselves. They had to advance their initial handlines," said Bayonne Fire Battalion Chief Frank Pawlowski. "Because of the fire conditions and the advanced fire conditions within the walls of the structures, we had to pull everything out and go to the offensive."
Hundreds lost power
The fire burned an electrical pole outside the home, knocking out power to hundreds in the area. Power was fully restored Saturday, according to PSE&G's outage map.
Most people on the block self-evacuated out of fear the flames would reach their homes.
"We could see the sparks from the fire coming in front of our window, so we grabbed the dog and the baby and booked it out, obviously no shoes for anybody. We're just lucky to have made it out," one man said.
Many residents displaced
Bayonne called for help from nearby fire departments, including Jersey City. Officials said four homes were either damaged or destroyed and 23 people were displaced.
"The original fire building and the two adjoining have been declared imminent hazards right now by the building department. So nobody's allowed back in," said Junior Ferrante, Office of Emergency Management coordinator in Bayonne. "Somehow, miraculously we have no injuries to report."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.