Early Morning Fire Displaces Several Families In Harrison
HARRISON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Several families have been displaced after an early morning fire at a multifamily home in Harrison, New Jersey.
The blaze broke out around 3:30 a.m. on South 5th Street.
"All I heard was my uncle saying, 'there's a fire, my house is burning down,'" Juan Macancela told CBS 2's Don Champion.
Macancela's uncle lives on the first floor and called his nephew as smoke filled the 3-story building. While Macancela rushed to the scene, he said his uncle helped get neighbors out by knocking on doors.
"All you see is flames going everywhere from the front to the back," he said.
It took firefighters from three different cities more than two hours to finally get the fire under control.
Thirteen-year-old Yanelli Conde lives next door and helped her family get out of their building. Firefighters initially feared the fire was going to spread to neighboring structures and residents were evacuated as a precaution.
"It was terrifying because I've never been that close to a fire before in my life," she said.
In all, 17 people were displaced by the fire.
As fire came to an end some residents could be seen crying and walking around the building in robes, surveying the damage.
It's still unclear what sparked the blaze. Once all hot spots are put out, investigators and construction department officials will go inside to determine if the building needs to be demolished.
No word on any injuries. The Red Cross is helping the residents who were displaced.
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