A three-alarm fire tore through two buildings in Paterson on Sunday night leaving one person seriously injured.
According to Paterson officials, the massive fire ripped through a house located at 69 Holzman Avenue then spread to a neighboring home at 67 Holzman Avenue by the time firefighters arrived shortly after 9:30 PM.
Officials said the blaze quickly escalated to a third-alarm sending nearly 75 on-duty Paterson Fire Department personnel to the scene with neighboring fire departments covering empty firehouses.
Firefighters were hampered by fierce flames which forced them to battle the fire from the exterior for a short time.
It took crews about two hours to bring the fire under control.
The cause remains under investigation.