An elderly couple died and dozens of people were displaced, after a raging apartment fire in Bayonne early Friday morning.
Fire officials say they responded just before 2 a.m. Friday. By the time they arrived, heavy fire was already coming out a third-floor window of the Island View Court complex -- a building owned by the Bayonne Housing Authority.
OEM officials confirm what residents have been telling News 4 -- that fire alarms were working when the tragic fire broke out. In fact, some residents say it was the smoke alarms that awoke them, while others were awoken when first responders began knocking on doors.
Firefighters removed three people from the building; two later died -- an elderly couple -- a man and woman in their 70s. Their identities weren't immediately available. A third refused medical attention.
A total of 54 units were evacuated in the burning building and the building next door. Eighteen units were left inhabitable.
About 32 people have been displaced as a result of the fire, among them four children. The OEM and Red Cross are assisting those impacted by the fire.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze.
