The department typically responds to 10 fires a week, officials said.
From a house fire in the 100 block of 2nd Avenue. (Courtesy Newark Public Safety Department)NEWARK -- City firefighters have been busy over the past two days, responding to nearly four times as many fires as they normally do.
In a release Saturday morning, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose commended city firefighters, who responded to 11 fires in the past two days. Typically, the department responds to about 10 fires per week.
2nd Avenue fire was one of 11 in Newark over the past two days. (Courtesy Newark Public Safety Department)"We have a dedicated group of firefighters that are willing to go through the extreme measures to help ensure the safety of our residents and their homes," Ambrose said in the release.
According to a spokesman for the department, the three most recent fires were two-alarm house fires. Aside from one or two car fires, the majority of those responded to were structure fires, spokesman Capt. Derek Glenn said.
No injuries were reported in any of the fires, though at least six people were relocated as a result of the larger home fires, Glenn said.
Though several of the homes suffered significant damage, officials applauded firefighters for putting out the blazes without causing serious damage to the homes flanking those on fire, some of which are as close as 18 inches away from the compromised structures.
Officials said the causes of the fires are being investigated. Fire Chief John Centanni said the hot temperatures over the past several days have made responding to them even more difficult.
"Our firefighting efforts are complicated by the fact we're battling the intense heat of the fires and the 90 degree temperatures we've experienced these past two days," he said.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.