Union City Mayor Opens GoFundMe Account For Victims Of Deadly 5-Alarm Fire
UNION CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey community is mourning the loss of three young lives.
The mayor of Union City announced Saturday he was starting a GoFundMe account to assist the victims of a fire that killed three children and injured dozens of people Friday morning.
The flames broke out just before 9 a.m. at the multi-family home on 25th Street.
Two-year-old Jason Gonzalez and his seven-year-old brother Christian were killed in the blaze, along with their five-year-old cousin Mailyn Wood. Late Friday night, officials said two other children remained in critical condition, as well as one woman. A man was listed in stable condition.
Two dozen firefighters were injured -- six were hospitalized and 18 were treated on the scene.
"It's heartbreaking. It could've been my children, it could've been my family," neighbor Eddie Miranda told CBS2's Reena Roy during a memorial outside the home Saturday night. "I was here, I saw everything from beginning to end. I mean, I'm still traumatized."
"I'm so heartbroken, so heartbroken, still can't believe it," said neighbor Charianny Cedano. "They were very humble, playful, outgoing. The mother, she would always take care of her kids."
"I was just crying, because I have a child and I just can't imagine how the parents feel at this moment," neighbor Maria Egorove said.
The Red Cross is assisting the roughly 30 people displaced by the fire.
"I am heart broken," Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack said in a statement. "It is a very difficult day for Union City. I continue to pray for the victims and their families and offer any resources I can to assist them. I am extremely thankful for the efforts of our first responders who gave their all under extremely difficult circumstances."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. If you'd like to donate to the GoFundMe, click HERE.