New Jersey in mourning after death of firefighter in Plainfield
PLAINFIELD, N.J. - Gov. Phil Murphy is ordering flags in New Jersey to be flown at half staff to honor a Plainfield firefighter killed in the line of duty.
Firefighter Marques Hudson died while responding to a house fire Friday.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. The mayor of Plainfield said the city is not just in mourning, but it's a family dealing with an irreplaceable loss.
Plainfield police watched over the somber scene Saturday morning. The badly damaged two-family home that Hudson would last report to now has caution tape wrapped around it.
Mayor Adrian Mapp said Hudson, 32, was badly injured while trying to put out a fire there.
"He either fell through the floor or fell down the stairs, and we don't know the circumstances at this time," Mapp said. "There was a mayday that went out. And once that happened, four firefighters went in and got him out within anywhere from two to four minutes."
Hudson showed up to work at 8 a.m. Friday and within 30 minutes the call came in that he was injured. He was then rushed to a hospital, and doctors worked on him for over an hour, but they were unsuccessful, and the mayor said he died.
"This tragedy has undoubtedly cast a shadow over our city," Mapp said.
This exact pain is a feeling Plainfield has never felt before, because officials said this is the first time in its history that a firefighter died while fighting a fire. They always knew it was a possibility, though.
"This is just a stark reminder. Every day when the men and women of the New Jersey fire service, don our gear, this is a reality that is in the back of our minds, every day," Ed Donnelly of the Firefighters Mutual Benefit Association of New Jersey.
The community is still reeling over the loss of a man who is being remembered as a hero who dedicated his life to serving others. Hudson leaves behind a family and three children.
"Very sorry to hear that," Plainfield resident Ernest Baker said. "If I could change everything that happened here, I would do just that, if I had the power to do."
Fire officials said everyone who lives inside the home was able to escape without injuries.
Three other firefighters are also being treated at the hospital. Their injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.
