Passaic husband and wife identified as victims of fatal apartment fire

Authorities have identified the two people who died in a Passaic apartment fire that destroyed two units on Sunday morning.

Fred Edwards, 80, and Yvonne Edwards, 70, a married couple, were killed in a fire that spread through two rear apartments of a two-story complex on Spruce Street, Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost Sr. told The Record and NorthJersey.com on Monday. The fire was reported at 9:17 a.m. Sunday.

Firefighters "did everything humanly possible to gain entry" into the apartment, Trentacost said. Several sustained burns in the rescue effort, including one who was taken to St. Mary's General Hospital and later released.

The fire was determined to be accidental but was still under investigation as of Monday afternoon, Trentacost said.

Local: Passaic County introduces 2024 budget. Here's what it means for taxpayers

Some residents of the building were unable to return to their apartments Sunday. Red Cross workers provided emergency assistance to several families to help them find temporary lodging, food and other needs.

Mayor Hector Lora told NorthJersey.com the eight-family complex had four units in the front that were not affected, but the four in the back were damaged by the fire. One unit was where the Edwardses lived, and other unit is still uninhabitable. The mayor was waiting to hear if the other two units have opened up for residents.

Staff Writer Lucas Frau contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic NJ husband, wife identified as victims in apartment fire