Praise God no one was killed; that's a miracle and I'm sure an answered prayer. I guess they don't know yet what caused the fire.

Why wasn't anyone praying for the family in East Orange, maybe they would have survived.

I was born and raised in Perth Amboy, N.J. This horrific news was on our front page....my hometown in a blaze. How awful is this news....I hope and pray these families have relatives who will take them in so they can rebuild their lives. Does anyone know what started the blaze? Nothing is mentioned in the article.

Article on NYtimes web mentioned some forgot tanning bed on

3 BUILDINGS each of which probably has numerous apartments, and I am not amazed that is the part of this very sad story you focused on.

If you read and comprehend the article, banthebook, you would see that three buildings collapsed and five sustained radiant heat damage. I believe 3 plus 5 still equals 8.

They said someone forgot the tanning bed on.

All These People !!! Is That All You Can Say ? All These People Just Lost Everything (children too), Why Do You Think Someone Needs To Go To Jail Too ???, Don't You Worrie If It Is LEGAL , You Didn't Lose Your Home and I'm Pretty Sure You Have a BED to Sleep in Tonight...Shmuck... Alway's a Smartass Out There.

As KM stated, they were probably multi family apts; not at all uncommon in NY, NJ and most metropolitan areas. When my husband and I lived in Jersey City we lived in a house that looked just like these. Three story houses with a different family on each level. The landlord and his wife and daughter on the first floor, the Monahans and two kids on the 2nd floor and us w/ our son on the third floor. ALL US CITIZENS. To whit I ask, "what do foreigners have less of a right to life? Or is their life somehow less important or valuable than yours because you're a citizen?"

A right to life or a right to mooch? When the fed's stop shoving immigrants down our throats and say pay for it, then we can talk about rights. All immigrations need to be at STATE level not federal !!! If a state can sustain then why not and if they WORK AND PAY taxes for 5 years in THAT state the state can petition the fed's for US citizenship not the other way around when we currently have states at POVERTY level and 28% unemployment.

Jimmy the bleak, Northeastern NJ has a very high hispanic population percentage that speaks Spanish and ARE US Citizens. It also has a high Portuguese speaking population which is mostly made up of US Citizens. This all, of course, has little to do with the story. Three buildings collapsed, and five sustained radiant heat damage. Eight buildings that housed 47 people are gone. That works out to 5 or 6 people per building. Some may be able to return to the radiant heat damaged ones after inspections and repairs, but that will take a while. It is a tragedy regardless.

Guy asks a simple question and gets railed on. Im sure he will be collapsed soon and branded a racist. It was a question. Not a statement.

it is a question about the "legal" conversion of common houses into multi-unit fire traps. not as some of the ignorant, persecuted types responded. it isn't about being an illegal border crosser, welfare recipient or any of the paranoia. it is about the illegal landlords that create scenarios such as this. There are reasons for occupancy laws and smoke detectors. Perth Amboy is an armpit of a city and has many problems.

You betcha!

Guess you guys are Native American, huh?

S Hunt, What does that have to do with it?????

I don't have time to hold your hand and walk you through it. You either get it or don't.

Give it a res hunt before making cure remarks.

this article. therefore, talks about people losing their homes.

it does not say anything about if the people were local or another country.

My comment was about people hating on immigrants. Wow, I guess I did have time to hold some hands.

S Hunt was only pointing out the stupidity of kyrollinghill's comment. S/he didn't bring ignorance into the conversation. kyrolling hills and mymomdidnotraiseafool (who gives his mom way too much credit) are the cold-hearted ones here.

Your all off base to make something of the story that is not part of the issue, and none of you have the comprehension of a piss ant. I believe the post was referring to illegals not immigrants there is a difference . ether way it has nothing to do with this story, I hope none of you are voting age.

There's only a difference if you have been programmed to think so.

what planet are you from S. Hunt? "if you are programed to think so" Do you ever leave your house? Have you ever seen the real streets,or do you think what you see and hear on Tv is real? Let me guess you are a Obama backer.....WTF

Nope, never left my house. Never seen these "real streets" of which you speak. The "real streets", that's great, who are you? Joe Friday walking the beat? As far as tv being real, yes, I think that every other news group in the world is liberally biased and that Fox News are the only ones brave and bold enough to tell the truth. It's the rest of the world that is wrong. I also love to listen to Rush who preaches the sanctity of marriage after being married four times. Yes, "programmed" is exactly what I mean.

To immigrate to canada %80 baren land, you have to deposit $20 grand in a bank before they will even consider !! It has nothing to do with land mass but economics the canadian gov't makes it mandatory to put in the pot and stand on your own 2 feet first not just show up and make people who are barely making ends meet to pay so you can get a peice of someone elses pie. the poor will get poorer with obama plan and trying to tax the rich more isn't going to help -they'll move it off shore, invest in overseas and move factories to FRIENDLIER countries that need job creation because according to obama all we have to do is raise taxes to solve our problems, since he stepped in office are defeceit went from 7 trillion !!!! to 16 TRILLION, no tax increase can cover that much spending by him on top most are for special interst groups not for the good of the country.

kyrollinghills, northeastern NJ has a high percentage of spanish speaking US Citizens. Many are from Puerto Rico, or their parents or grandparents are from Puerto Rico. Are you saying that just because it is a spanish surname that they are illegal?...maybe where ever YOU are, but NOT in this area of the nation. Regardless, it is a tragedy that 47 people are now homeless. Three buildings collapsed, and five were damaged by radiant heat. Eight buildings housing 47 people works out to 5 or 6 per building.

Yeah, why help people, right?

Hunt, if you can't saying anything polite. why wise cracked?

Shandril, . this article people talks about people losing their homes.

The welfare will help these people get back on their feet.

Hay People, if these people were Legals, they lost all of their papers. so how do you prove?

Information is registered w/the county. Easy to pull up.

DMV photos, Tax returns, employers, schools, police records, fingerprints, passport records,etc......

ithink-2016071. u are one of the people here making kind comments.

Okay, go read about Drew's third marriage then. Maybe that's more your speed.

I tell you what cactuscat. you take the initiative, and change the policy about article like this. ha, I did not think you would, you just typical person that just wants to make mean conservative remarks.

Cactuscat, I think stories about people losing their homes to fire are valid news stories. Yes, people lose their homes everyday. People are hurt and killed in accidents everyday. That is NO reason to not talk about it. How many lives have been saved because stories like these were reported, and others alerted to dangers in their own lives because of those reported stories can NEVER be known. That reason alone makes it worthwhile to cover these tragedies.

I now will change my tone. therefore, all of our family members going back as much as 300 years ago, were from foreign countries. and one place where people came into the harbor foreign country close down after War 2 in New York, how fast were they legal Citizens. and next the jerks that cause 09-11-01 cheated on their visas. and were not born in this country.

Therefore, where those people came into from foreign countries. is now a museum. so, now get your facts straights. how many foreign came into this country Illegal for the pass 300 years? so, saying that the people that lost their homes in this article are Spanish is besides the point. these people could of had a gathering. or kids having a over night party.

I don't think you understand what I am saying or my overall tone. If you ever watch the Colbert Report, you are going to be quite confused. Get a dictionary and look up words like "sarcasm" and "satire". Good luck to you in life.

Hay Hunt, yes, excellent point. and have a nice summer. Thank you!

Are you 18 or older?

16 is legal in my state.

Thank you Pearl, you too made a 100% value point. oh by the way, this sight gives you choice to correct your spelling, however, that being too late is besides the point. therefore, you're excused.

"I wish i knew when people became so cold hearted.."

Ummn, right around the time Columbus and his gang came to this once peaceful land.

Yes.. Natives were peaceful..Ah-ha.. never had tribal wars.. Ah-ha..never burned captured people on stakes

over their camp fires Ah-ha..

Wow, so enlightened...

What does the "class of people" have to do with a tragic fire? Please elaborate.

Do you recall the horrible fire in Connecticut last Christmas that claimed the children and parents of a very successful and well-to-do white woman? Did that come as a huge surprise to you?

Fire doesn't draw class lines, and by implying that these people somehow brought it on themselves, your last statement would make more sense like this:

"No, I'm not factual, just prejudiced."

emmygee

I did nt say every fire, statisticly these things happen most in a particular neighborhood..As far as my quote ' This class of people ", you must admit we all live on different levels of awareness and comprehension..

Yes, al-2891335, these things DO tend to happen to particualr neighborhoods and classes of people. That is to say, it happens in poor, rundown areas to a greater degree. It happens to houses that tend to be older, with decrepit and insufficient wiring, outdated or non-existant fireprotection, and often illegal conversions to apartments by non-resident landlords who pack as many people in as possible to support their suburban lifestyles. Is THAT what you mean?

Amen Santo nano,,,,,Someone tossed in the Bs and all the libs jumped right on it. And there was S. Hunt the first Lib that came out with" I guess you were native american" Guess what people everyone of us in the USA are from somewhere else. The difference is our forefathers came over here and were taken to places where they got papers. They did not croos a fence and come here. They did not rob and kill for money to stay alive. They worked,and they worked hard to make America what it is today. I thank most of them. I say most,because of them should not been allowed to breed.

Dear Simpleton (Bob Olson)... Our forefathers did not rob and kill for money to stay alive? You sir are delusional. I want to sit in on the history classes you were taught where there was no crime until latinos started entering. So all the Irish, Italian, etc all came to the country and were little angels upon arrival. How sheltered and brainwashed are you?

DC518, save your breath. Ol' Bob's just more enlightened than the rest of us. Yeah, yeah, "Libs", Obama and stuff... These issues are bigger than political sympathies. Yep, Columbus, John Smith, and many others that came to America got right off the boat, went to the immigration office, and filed for their papers. I would suggest you read a history book, I'm sure these's some with big, pretty pictures.

oh i know my history. I said forefathers because you and some others sound so young and dumb

Because many of them happen to be here illegally. I searched around the web. Also speaking zero English is a good clue. That is one of the requirements for citizenship. They had more people in there than legally allowed. Also more than the landlord allowed. Hey those are only laws, ignore them. If you want to be worried , last week three separate cases of cannibalism in the news and also that sick gay porn freak dismembering someone, then having sex with the parts, posted it online then mailed the parts.

Gay psycho, Brain eating Kenyon immigrant and a face eating drug addict. They must belong to the teaparty.

The sad thing is, like the people in the Katrina flood, when the landlords rebuild, they build up to code as the law will require them to do, and people such as those who were living there before the incidents will not be able to afford the new structures.

They will be left homeless, to settle again in the poorest part of town, in the most humble of housing structures, that will have no fire alarms or safety features.

Some have, and some do NOT have renter's insurance. Those who do may have lost everything in the fire, including their policies and contact information, numbers and phones. One thing a shelter does to help people in these situations is assisting them to contact the agents and companies, and make arrangements to get people into a nice hotel room. When you are burned out of your home, you are often in shock, and forget or don't know certain things. The people at the shelter are trained to help, not just give you a blanket, cot and meal.

Gary: First off I was making a comment on someone's comment. I know it don't matter where they come from. However if they are not here legal,,,No they can't get insured. Go figure they can get free everything but can't get insured..But then again if they get free everything why worry about what they have lost.They will get more.. I do not like to see anyone have to leave what they call home,,reguardless of it being from fire,storms whatever. It is a shame and my heart goes out to them(No matter where they are from or what friging color they are.

i meant to say should matter, nothing but being humans should matter