Public safety director: Early morning blaze in northern NJ leaves 2 dead, as many as 4 missing

Official: NJ fire kills 2, leaves up to 4 missing

PATERSON, N.J. — A town official says a blaze in northern New Jersey has left two people dead and as many as four missing.

Deputy Chief Scott MacGilvray says the fire broke out at a house in Paterson early Wednesday. The flames spread to homes on either side.

A man and a woman have died. MacGilvray initially said six people were unaccounted for, but Public Safety Director Glenn Brown said officials now believe as many as four are missing.

Authorities aren’t sure how many people were at home when the fire broke out.

A search through the rubble has been stymied because the structures are unstable.

The home where the fire originated has collapsed. Another home was heavily damaged and a third suffered external damage from smoke and flames.

Brown says authorities suspect it was an electrical fire.