Northern NJ fire kills 4, leaves 3 seriously hurt
By SAMANTHA HENRY
Associated Press Writer

A fast-moving fire that engulfed a home within minutes Wednesday morning, killing four residents and seriously injured three others, was likely caused by electrical problems, authorities said.

Public Safety Director Glenn Brown said two people jumped out of a third-story window to escape the blaze and one of them died. The other suffered two broken legs and severe injuries.

One body was found in the charred remains of the house, Brown said. Authorities said they believe all the occupants of the home are now accounted for.

Officials have not yet released the victims' identities.

Authorities suspect the blaze was caused by electrical problems because the house had previously been cited for violations.

The fire department was called to the house for a faulty boiler in January, which is when officials cited the home owner for electrical violations, said Paterson Fire Chief Michael Postorino.

Firefighters could be seen loading a body covered in a plastic tarp onto a yellow stretcher Wednesday afternoon and passing it down a pile of charred wooden beams and smoking rubble, all that remained of the home where the blaze started. Houses on either side were damaged, one of them heavily, but no one inside them was injured.

Neighbor Sophia Bowen said the home's owner, Florence Brown, was injured in the blaze and taken away in an ambulance. Bowen said Brown lived in the home and rented one of the apartments to relatives, at least two men who were brothers, believed to be Florence Brown's nephews.

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