A New Jersey community is mourning a firefighter and father of three who died after battling a house fire on Friday. Marques Hudson, 32, was responding to the blaze at the two-family home on Emerson Avenue in Plainfield on Friday morning when he was seriously injured.
“He either fell through the floor or fell down the stairs, and we don’t know the circumstances at this time,” Mayor Adrian Mapp said at a press conference on Friday. “There was a mayday that went out. And once that happened, four firefighters went in and got him out within anywhere from two to four minutes.”
Hudson was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he died just over an hour later, the mayor said.
Ten occupants were initially inside the multifamily residence when the fire broke out, according to ABC affiliate WABC-TV. What sparked the fire was not immediately clear.
Three other firefighters were also injured in the fire and were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, per WABC-TV and CBS affiliate WCBS-TV.
Hudson’s colleagues, family, and friends are mourning his loss. It’s also a first for the town, as no firefighter has ever been killed in the line of duty, according to the mayor.
“I lost someone who was under my direct charge and words cannot — I cannot convey the words of how I feel,” Plainfield Fire Director Kenneth Childress said, WABC-TV reported.
City Councilman Robert K. Graham told the station that Hudson joined the department in December 2021 and that he “exemplified the utmost courage of a dedicated first responder.”
City and state officials also noted the fallen firefighter’s character and commitment as a public servant.
“We are indebted to him in a way that words cannot fully express,” the city said in a statement. “His impact will persist, serving as a perpetual source of inspiration and guidance for us in the days ahead.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ordered flags throughout the state to be flown at half-staff in honor of Hudson.
“The tragic loss of this courageous young man is a reminder of the great risks our firefighters face every day in the line of duty,” Murphy said, per WCBS-TV. “We owe a debt of gratitude to all of the brave firefighters, like Firefighter Marques Hudson, who serve our state.”
In addition to his children, Hudson is survived by his mother, sister and brother, the Courier News reported.