ROSELLE FIRE TEARS THROUGH HOMES, INJURES FIREFIGHTER AS DAWN EXPLOSION SHOCKS UNION COUNTY.

Roselle woke to chaos Tuesday morning, jolted from sleep by the crack of flames and the roar of fire engines as a fast-moving inferno ripped through a tight row of homes. By the time the smoke cleared, multiple houses were damaged, a firefighter was injured, and an entire neighborhood found itself grappling with the violent speed of disaster.

It was just after sunrise on East 5th Avenue when residents smelled smoke—then saw it billowing from the side of a two-story home. Within minutes, the fire exploded outward, racing up the wooden frame and leaping across narrow property lines. What began as a single-house blaze became a three-structure emergency in a matter of minutes.

A BLOCK TURNED INTO A FIRE ZONE

Neighbors poured into the street in pajamas, clutching children, pets, documents—anything they could grab before the flames overtook their homes. Some cried. Some shouted. Most stared in shock as orange light danced across the entire block.

“You could feel the heat from across the street,” said one witness. “Everyone was screaming for their families to get out.”

Roselle firefighters arrived within minutes, reinforced by crews from Elizabeth, Union Township, and Roselle Park. Thick smoke swallowed the street as they dragged lines, smashed windows and fought to keep the flames from spreading to even more homes.

But with the houses tightly packed and aging construction creating fuel for the fire, crews knew the battle would be brutal.

ONE FIREFIGHTER DOWN

In the middle of the chaos, one Roselle firefighter was injured inside one of the burning structures. Officials say he suffered non-life-threatening injuries but required transport to University Hospital in Newark.

Fellow firefighters described the moment as a gut punch.

“He went down so fast,” said a responder. “One second he was clearing a room, the next we heard a shout and everything shifted. This job can flip on you in a heartbeat.”

Despite the injury, crews pushed forward, rotating teams through smoke-choked hallways and collapsing stairwells as they fought to keep the blaze from turning the entire block into one long strip of ashes.

FAMILIES DISPLACED IN SECONDS

Several families lost their homes, with some structures left barely standing. Roofs collapsed inward; siding melted like plastic; windows shattered from the heat. What wasn’t burned was soaked and destroyed.

One mother described sprinting out of her home with her children after a neighbor banged on her door.

“We left everything,” she said. “By the time we reached the sidewalk, the front windows were already blowing out.”

The Red Cross was on site within hours, arranging emergency lodging, clothing, medication support and food. Community groups from across Union County immediately began organizing donations.

WHAT SPARKED THE BLAZE?

Investigators from Roselle and Union County Fire Marshals spent the morning digging through charred debris to determine the cause. Early indications point to a possible electrical failure, but officials have emphasized the investigation is still in its earliest stage.

What they do know is that the closeness of the homes—paired with older construction—allowed the fire to accelerate with dangerous speed.

“It moved faster than expected for a residential fire,” one official said. “This could have been significantly worse.”

A COMMUNITY REFUSES TO BREAK

Even as the smoke lingered, Roselle residents lined the sidewalks offering bottled water to firefighters, blankets to displaced families, and comfort to neighbors who were left stunned and shaking.

Local businesses pledged meals. Churches opened donation drives. A borough shaken by destruction responded with unity.

Roselle Mayor Donald Shaw called the blaze “a devastating moment for families who lost everything,” but praised emergency responders for preventing an even larger tragedy.

“The teamwork today saved lives,” Shaw said. “We’re grateful no residents were hurt.”

THE ROAD AHEAD

Cleanup will take days and recovery will take months. Families now begin the painful work of rebuilding—emotionally, financially and physically. Insurance claims, temporary housing, donated goods, and structural inspections will dominate their immediate future.

The injured firefighter is expected to make a full recovery, but colleagues say the emotional toll of a morning like this never fades quickly.