Raging New Jersey fire destroys home overnight, causes hundreds of power outages

BAYONNE, New Jersey — A massive fire destroyed a home, damaged others and caused hundreds of power outages in New Jersey overnight.

A dramatic video shows the Bayonne house completely ravaged by flames shortly before 11 p.m. Friday. This happened on the corner of West 11th Street and Avenue C.

“The neighbor's house was on fire, and by the time you knew it, our house was on fire,” one neighbor said. “Bad, bad. I might be able to tear it down.”

The heat burned the cars across the street

The fire was so bad that cars across the street were burned by the heat. Firefighters said they struggled to bring the blaze under control, but eventually managed to do so after three hours.

“They had to distance themselves. They had to advance on their front lines,” said Bayonne Fire Battalion Chief Frank Pawlowski. “Due to the fire conditions and advanced fire conditions in the walls of the structures, we had to remove everything and go on the offensive.”

Hundreds of people lost power

The fire burned a utility pole outside the home, knocking out power to hundreds of people in the area. Power was almost fully restored Saturday morning, according to PSE&G's outage map.

Most residents of the neighborhood were themselves evacuated, fearing that the flames would reach their homes.

“We could see the sparks from the fire outside our window, so we grabbed the dog and the baby and booked it in, obviously with no shoes on for anyone. We're just lucky we made it out,” said a man. .

Many residents displaced

Bayonne called for help from nearby fire departments, including Jersey City. Authorities said four homes were damaged or destroyed and 23 people were displaced.

“The original fire building and the two adjoining ones have been declared imminent danger by the building department, so no one is allowed in,” said Junior Ferrante, coordinator of the emergency management office in Bayonne. “Somehow, miraculously, we have no injuries to report.”

The investigation is looking into the causes of the fire.