A fast-moving fire in Newark's South Ward displaced four families Saturday evening after flames ripped through multiple homes on South 19th Street, city officials said.
Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said firefighters were called to 933 South 19th Street at approximately 5:03 p.m. Crews arriving on scene found heavy fire conditions, prompting an immediate upgrade to a second alarm as the blaze spread to neighboring homes at 931 and 935 South 19th Street.
A brush fire also broke out in the backyard of 922 South 19th Street, and firefighters extinguished a separate smaller fire at 918 South 19th Street on the same block.
No injuries were reported. Four families — 16 adults and four children — were displaced and relocated from their homes.
The fire was declared under control at approximately 6:31 p.m. The cause and origin of the blaze remain under investigation by the Newark Department of Public Safety's Arson Unit.
