By: Richard L. Smith
Fire officials in East Orange are investigating the cause of an early morning fire that left over a dozen people homeless Sunday.
The East Orange Fire Department responded to a three-alarm fire at two multi-family homes at 182 and 184 Hollywood Avenue at 4:48 am this morning.
Officials said crews arrived on the scene at 4:48 am and began putting out the fire and safely evacuating three families -- a total of 16 people, all of whom sustained no injuries.
The fire was reported under control at 7:14 am, however, firefighters were still extinguishing hot spots at 10:30 am.
Two firefighters sustained injuries and are currently being treated at University Hospital.
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the American Red Cross are assisting the families.
Responding mutual aid agencies were from Bloomfield, Orange, Irvington, Montclair, Caldwell, Belleville, South Essex, Millburn, Livingston, West Orange, North Caldwell and Cedar Grove.
The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation.