“I was totally shocked,” said Anne-Marie Jarlaianu, who was one of the 48 people left homeless after a six-alarm fire destroyed three apartment buildings on Park Avenue in West New York last week. “We lost everything that we had.”
Jarlaianu said her apartment was one of the worst damaged in the three buildings. Jarlaianu was unable to re-enter the apartment.
According to North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Charles Thomas, the fire was reported at 2:13 a.m. on July 5. The fire was believed to have begun in a first floor apartment at 6105 Park Ave. and quickly spread to 6107 and 6109 Park Ave.
Jeff Welz, the co-director of the regional department, said that the fire had already spread up to the roofs of two of the three buildings by the time the first companies arrived on the scene.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, however, according to Welz, the fire has not been found to be suspicious.
Relocating
Like many of the other victims, Jarlaianu and her mother are staying with relatives until they are able to find permanent housing.
According to West New York Mayor Albio Sires, only a few families had been placed in local hotels. Sires said that he has also made arrangements with the West New York Housing Authority to help these families possibly find placement in the new affordable housing buildings scheduled to open next month. However, these families will also have to qualify under the financial guidelines set by the town for affordable housing.
“We have already gone to the West New York Housing Authority,” said Jarlaianu, a couple of days after the fire.
“The people there are very kind,” said Rose Jarlaianu working with her daughter in the food truck they own on Broadway. “I don’t know what we would do without them.”
West New York Mayor Albio Sires said that the town has a procedure in place for relocating victims of fires in the town. Sires added that the town also has an account opened with North Hudson Community Action Corporation to help in the relocation of these victims.
“This process goes through every time there is a fire in the town,” said Sires.
Many rescues
Welz said that the firefighters made numerous rescues while fighting this fire last week. According to Welz, many people were trying to exit the building from fire escapes.
“If anyone was in those buildings, they would not have survived,” said Welz, commenting on the intensity of the fire.
According to reports read by Thomas, the fire moved quickly into the cocklofts of the buildings and spread.
Welz said that the firefighters were unable to enter at least two of the apartments because they were completely engulfed in flames.
One family, whose apartment could not be searched, was not accounted for. However, Welz said that on further investigation, the family is believed to be on vacation.
“Luckily, we were not in the building,” said Jarlaianu. All three buildings were razed. At least one of the building owners said that he is going to try to rebuild.