A three-alarm blaze at Chris’s Family Diner on East South Orange Avenue Saturday afternoon burned for more than two hours, damaging the diner and nearby businesses as firefighters worked to contain it.
According to officials, the fire started on the second floor of the building around 3 p.m. The structure houses Chris’s Family Diner on the ground floor with apartments above. Flames quickly spread to the adjoining building where Ambiance Jewelers and Glady’s Nail Salon are located.
Videos filmed by bystanders showed smoke billowing from the buildings as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.
South Orange Avenue was closed between Sloan Street and Scotland Road as the South Essex Fire Department responded with assistance from units in Newark, Orange, West Orange, Millburn, Irvington, Union and Hillside. Residents were urged to avoid the area and seek alternate travel routes.
Fire crews worked for more than two hours to contain the blaze before it was extinguished at 5:15 p.m., according to Mayor Sheena Collum. There were no injuries.
“We appreciate the swift action of our first responders,” Collum wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. “Please keep everyone in your prayers.”
Collum did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article has been updated for clarity. The damage to the structure on South Orange Avenue was caused by the fire itself, not the firefighters who worked to contain it.
Megan Pitt is the head editor of The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at megan.pitt@student.shu.edu.
