Six firefighters and a member of the public suffered burns in series of blazes
NEWARK -- Six firefighters and a civilian suffered minor injuries in a series of small fires Thursday night, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.
The first blaze broke out around 5:17 p.m. at Welco Acetylene Corp. at 321 Roanoke Ave. An employee of the business suffered burns and was treated at University Hospital.
Firefighters douse a fire on Virginia Street in Newark Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, one of four fires that broke out in a short span that night. (Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) A second, 3-alarm fire broke out at the vacant Seth Boyden housing complex on Frelinghuysen Avenue about 20 minutes later. That fire, which started on the third floor, as well as a second fire on the first floor were both quickly contained.
Six firefighters were treated and released for burns suffered at Seth Boyden.
A few blocks from those fires, on Virginia Street near Frelinghuysen Avenue, yet another blaze broke out shortly after 11 p.m. near a vacant warehouse. Firefighters on scene said smoke from a pile of burning debris outside the building temporarily trapped three people inside but all were rescued and unhurt. They were treated at University Hospital.
The Newark Fire Division and the Essex County Arson Squad are investigating the fires, Ambrose said. Anyone with information can call the prosecutor's office at 877-847-7432 or the NFD fire division at 973-733-7510.
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