Picture courtesy Eyewitness News viewer Belina Chacon
Eyewitness News
Updated 1 hr 23 mins ago
NORTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. (WABC) -- Two people are dead after a fire at an apartment complex in New Jersey, authorities say.
The three-alarm fire broke out late Sunday morning at the Regency Village Apartments on Route 22 in North Plainfield.
The victims were an elderly man and woman, according to police. Their identities have not yet been released.
Fire departments from nearby towns assisted with mutual aid as several buildings were evacuated.
Another resident was injured in the fire and one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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updated July 24, 2016 at 3:35 PM
NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — A fire swept through an apartment complex Sunday afternoon, killing two residents and injuring another, police said.
North Plainfield police Chief William Parenti said an elderly man and woman who lived in the same unit died as a result of the blaze.
Another resident, an elderly man, was rescued by Officer Jordan Rogers and taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Parenti said.
2 killed in North Plainfield fire, police say
Eight units were deemed "inhabitable," Parenti said. Red Cross was on its way to provide food and shelter for the residents living in those units.
Residents in the complex reported seeing flames as early as 11 a.m. By 1 p.m., the flames appeared to be extinguished but crews were still dousing the two-story building with water.
Dozens of neighbors stood around the building, located on Highway 22, taking photos with their cell phones.
Joy Maye, who's lived in the complex for more than 40 years, said she saw smoke billowing above trees from her bedroom window.
"It scared the heck out of me," she said. "I've never seen anything like this."
Resident Iris Comune said the fire has him second guessing his living situation.
"Let's just say I'm looking for a new place tomorrow," she said. "I just don't trust being here anymore." The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.