3 children dead, more than two dozen injured in fast-moving New Jersey fire
Friday, July 13, 2018
UNION CITY, New Jersey (WABC) --
Three children were killed and more than a dozen others were injured, after a fast-moving fire engulfed a building in New Jersey.
The fire broke out just before 9 a.m. on 25th Street between Bergenline and New York avenues in Union City. Smoke billowed out the windows and through the roof.
Witnesses say a boy was on the roof on his hands and knees waving for help.
Moments later, firefighters went up a ladder to bring the child to safety.
Multiple witnesses say he was rescued in the nick of time and was able to walk away on his own, but there were others who were not as lucky.
Three children, were killed - Mailyn Wood, 5; and her cousins, Jason Gonzalez, 2, and his eight-year-old brother, Christian, who died hours later at the hospital.
Neighbors say they tried to help, but it was just too much.
"I went inside to the second floor and I knocked a couple of doors. When I tried to come back, I saw all the smoke already somewhere in the foyer," said Eudez Hernandez.
18 firefighters were also injured from smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. All of them are expected to survive.
It took half an hour to get flames under control.
UPDATE: Two young brothers and cousin die in Union City fire
July 13, 2018
UNION CITY, NJ –
A five-alarm blaze on 25th Street killed three children and injured four other people, including firefighters, according to media reports.
The fire was reported about 9 a.m. on July 13 at a home located between Bergenline and New York avenues.
Firefighters battled the blaze for about a half hour, cutting holes into the roof to let out heat and smoke, while at the same time rescuing the occupants of the building.
Many firefighters were given oxygen on the scene to help recover from the impact of the smoke.
The fire spread through two buildings before being brought under control at about 9:30 a.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Some media outlets reported that a 2-year-old boy, Jason Gonzales, and a 5-year-old girl, Mailyn Wood, passed away, and were cousins.
On Friday evening, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said that a third child, a 7-year-old boy, had succumbed. News reports said he was Christian Gonzales, Jason's brother.
The prosecutor's release said, "First responders to the area found that there were victims trapped in the three-story residence at 416 25th Street. Rescue efforts were made as firefighters from North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, the Jersey City Fire Department and the Hoboken Fire Department fought the blaze." The fire then spread next door.
Union City is particularly susceptible to fires due to the old construction of the homes and their density. As a Reporter story from 2011 noted, "Many older buildings have a small airspace, known as a cockloft, that’s situated between the roof and ceiling of the top floor units. Where buildings are of the same height and are adjoined, the cockloft often runs the entire length of several buildings, which can be an entire city block. A continuous cockloft can make it easier for a fire to spread rapidly from one building to the next."
Mayor Brian Stack said the town is accepting donations for the victims. Make checks payable to the Union City Fire Victims' Fund and send to: Union City Fire Victims' Fund, City of Union City, Office of Mayor Brian P. Stack, 3715 Palisade Avenue, 3rd Floor, Union City, NJ 07087.