Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Paterson Fire Chief Brian McDermott, and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora announced that at 8:42 p.m. Saturday, police and fire officials responded to a seven-alarm fire at a multi-family residence located at 81 Beech Street in Paterson.
Officials said the fire spread to the surrounding buildings and also damaged the multi-family residences located at 79 Beech Street, 83 Beech Street, 85 Beech Street, 47 Oak Street, and 49 Oak Street.
Fifty-six (56) individuals were displaced. Although there were no reported injuries among the residents, one firefighter and one police officer sustained minor injuries.
According to Paterson officials, due to the severity of the fire, the fire departments of Woodland Park, Passaic, Clifton, Totowa, Little Falls, Hawthorne, Prospect Park, Wayne, Pompton Lakes and Fair Lawn also responded.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
No charges have been filed at this time, however, this investigation remains active and ongoing.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact the Paterson Police Department at (973) 321-1111.