STORY & PHOTOS BY THOMAS ELLIS II
Just before 12 am on November 15th, there was a devastating fire that destroyed three houses in the South Ward of Newark at 13, 11, and 9 Seymour Ave.
It’s alleged that the fire was started by squatters living the middle house.
I spoke with several of the family members and residents who were directly affected by the fire. They lost everything.
One of them told me that he was inside 13 Seymour, when he had to run out his second floor apartment because the house was on fire. He told me he watched the fire all night, and that he slept in a chair across the street from the fire, and he was hoping to get his passport out of the house.
Mark Fraser, who lives directly in front of 11 Seymour, said, “I was sleeping when someone in my house was yelling, ‘Fire, Fire, Fire!’ I’m just glad to know that everyone in all three houses got out safely.”
The fire started in the middle house (#11) and quickly spread to the other houses. It’s being reported that the fire took nine hours to put out, with four firefighters getting injured.
Early Saturday morning around 10:30 am, Newark Fire Department Ladder #6 was spraying water on the houses to fully extinguish the fires and put out any hot spots.
Mr. Nfaly Kaba, his wife and children, four girls ages 21, 19, 18, 17, lived in 9 Seymour. Mr. Kaba said, “I was at work around something to 12 when I received a call from one of my daughters telling me the house was on fire. They all had to run out the house.
“I left the job and rushed home as quickly as I could. I’m glad all my girls got out of the house. We lost everything.”
Mr. Kaba is from Guinea, his wife is from Liberia, and after speaking with several of the residents who lost their places to live, I’ve learned that all of them were from some part of Africa. This includes Togo Dru, Nigeria, and Ghana.
One of the residents in house #13 told me he had just come home from work, and was getting ready to take a shower when the house caught on fire. He and the other residents had to run out of the house with whatever they had on. Another resident told me it was really scary.
All the people whose homes went up ablaze because of sheer negligence said the same thing, “Thank God we are alive, and no one was injured or lost their life. We’ve lost everything, but we still have our lives.
Now, this is the third devastating fire that I’ve covered in a few months, with one having two fatalities.
It’s very hard to see all your possessions going up in smoke, and it’s even harder if lives are lost, but there is one thing that must be addressed as a way to prevent these types of fires. The squatters must be removed, and abandoned houses and apartments need to be sealed. This will possibly save lives, not to mention homes, apartments, and neighborhoods.
Over the past few months, over 100 people in Newark and Irvington have been displaced because of fires.
