By: Richard L. Smith
A four-alarm fire that tore through a row of homes in Jersey City Thursday evening has left one female dead and at least two others injured.
The fire broke out shortly before 5 p.m. in the area of 81 Boyd Avenue, off Kennedy Boulevard, where arriving firefighters encountered heavy flames coming from a two-and-a-half-story wood-frame building and extending into neighboring structures.
The blaze quickly intensified as flames traveled through a common cockloft and spread into multiple buildings.
Firefighters stretched several hose lines while crews opened the roof and worked to contain the advancing flames.
During the response, EMS was urgently requested for a civilian suffering burn injuries. Firefighters later removed two additional victims from one of the buildings as conditions continued to deteriorate.
The incident escalated to a third alarm, with crews reporting a partial collapse at the rear of the original fire building.
By approximately 5:35 p.m., a fourth alarm was requested as firefighters remained heavily engaged in the operation.
The fire was placed under control at approximately 5:52 p.m.
Later Thursday evening, information released from the scene indicated that Jersey City officials confirmed one female had died as a result of the fire.
Additional information regarding the other victims’ conditions was not immediately available.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.