Atlantic City rooming-house fire displaces 37

A two-alarm fire ripped through an Atlantic City rooming house late Saturday night, displacing 37 people.

The fire started near midnight on the second floor of the building, located in the 1400 block of Memorial Avenue, Atlantic City Fire Chief Dennis Brooks said.

Before firefighters arrived, a woman on the second floor threw her two children from a window to bystanders below, then jumped, Brooks said. The children were not hurt, but the woman was taken to a hospital, Brooks said. No details on her condition were immediately available.

The 39 firefighters at the scene put out most of the fire within 20 minutes, but it took an additional hour to extinguish flames that had crept into the walls, Brooks said.

Firefighters from Absecon, Longport, and Pleasantville responded to the fire. One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation, but it may have been sparked by a hot plate, Brooks said. The fire appeared to have been set accidentally.

The Red Cross was assisting the 30 adults and seven children who lived in the building, Brooks said. They stayed Saturday night at a nearby Days Inn.

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