Fire in New Jersey blazes through a row of homes

An elderly man was injured and nine families were displaced after a fire broke out in Newark, New Jersey, in the late afternoon on Tuesday.

Firefighters responded to reports of a fire shortly before 5 p.m. in a vacant residential building, according to officials.

Irvington Fire Department requested mutual aid, and Newark Fire Division members responded to provide that assistance, according to a statement from Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé.

Within the next half-hour, a second and then third alarm were called as the fire tore through five homes on the block.

Multiple trees around a house also caught on fire and a car in the driveway was also ablaze, officials said.

A thick cloud of black smoke could be seen from up to 20 miles away, according to NewsCopter7.

As firefighters worked to subdue the flames, some residents had to be evacuated, according to officials. The firefighters also found themselves up against low water pressure issues, with at least one dead hydrant.

WABC Chief Meteorologist Lee Goldberg said that 20 mph wind gusts and dry air would have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Despite those obstacles, the fire was under control by 7 p.m., according to Fragé, and the injured man was taken to University Hospital.

Newark Public Safety confirmed that 26 adults and four children will have to be relocated.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.