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Initial reports of an occupant possibly trapped thankfully proved unfounded after the fire broke out on the second floor of the primary North 11 Street home, off Fairview Avenue, around 11:30 a.m.
Council President Anand Shah called for prayers for those who lost their homes and belongings in the destructive blaze, which topped out at five alarms for coverage.
Mayor Mohamed T. Khairullah praised the first responders who braved not only the fire itself but temperatures in the 90s -- not counting the heat index -- as well as downed power lines.
Both men live-streamed from the scene.
Mutual aid responders at the scene or in coverage included firefighters from Haledon, Hawthorne, Paterson and Pompton Lakes, he said.
Paterson's fire chief also joined his borough counterpart at the scene.
Together, they kept the blaze from spreading to any more homes.
The fire was declared under control shortly after 1 p.m.
The cause was being investigated.
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