One injured, 30 displaced after fire breaks out in Newark

NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) — Nine families were displaced after a fire broke out at a vacant residential building on Montgomery Street in Irvington Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was reported in an abandoned home that was being used by squatters, authorities say.

Multiple fire departments responded to the fire at 71 Montgomery Street around 4:58 p.m. The fire extended to three houses in Newark and three in Irvington.

Crews were able to get the fire under control at around 6:51 p.m., according to officials.

An elderly man was injured and taken to University Hospital. 26 adults and four children will be relocated.

Nallinde Jain, her 3-year-old daughter, and her 5-month-old baby boy are among those displaced. “I hear somebody knock on my door and tell me to come outside,” she recounted. “Another guy knocked on my door and said there’s a fire.”

Jain left everything behind and is afraid she won’t be able to return, or at least not any time soon. “I don’t find nothing, no milk, no clothes, nothing.”

The Red Cross says they will take care of the immediate needs of the families. “Obviously, the damage was pretty hefty but we’ll take care of their immediate needs with food and shelter,” said Mike Minell, a disaster program manager for the Red Cross.

Officials are investigating the cause and origin of the fire.

Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here .

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