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Union City, N.J., fire that killed 74-year-old woman remains under investigation, officials say

By
Naveen Dhaliwal
Naveen Dhaliwal
Naveen Dhaliwal joined the CBS News New York team in April 2023 as a general assignment reporter covering stories of all kinds across the tri-state area. Prior to CBS New York, Naveen reported for WABC-TV. She was first to report the rash of South Asian attacks in the Spring of 2022. Naveen won an Emmy for her work during the July 2019 Manhattan blackout.
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Naveen Dhaliwal

/ CBS New York

Officials are continuing to investigate a deadly fire in Union City, New Jersey.

It started Saturday afternoon in a vacant structure on Bergen Turnpike near 38th Street and quickly spread to adjoining buildings. 

More than a day later, firefighters remained on scene to douse stubborn hotspots.

"There was just a bunch of smoke. It was like a whole cloud of smoke," neighbor Ashley Mejia said.

Flames and thick black smoke
A large fire broke out in Union City, New Jersey, near 38th Street and Bergen Turnpike on April 18, 2026. Lesley Omar Reyes

"There were just the most monumental flames," neighbor Ross Williams said. "A lot of us in our building, we were saying, do we need to evacuate? Are these fumes going to affect us? And luckily, it didn't."

Officials said a 74-year-old woman was killed in the fire. Her identity has not yet been released.

Neighbors said the woman was blind and would be seen in front of her home from time to time.

"God bless her family," Williams said. "That's horrible."

Firefighters douse hotspots at the scene of a fire
Crews continued to douse hotspots at the scene of a deadly fire in Union City on Sunday. CBS News New York

According to officials, 23 people were also displaced.

Some said work started on the vacant building just this past week.

"They were doing, like, some fixing over there the other day," Mejia said. "And then this happens all of a sudden. That's really weird."

The Hudson County Regional Arson Task Force is investigating this fire, which is standard procedure.

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