A fire that quickly spread through a home in Paterson, New Jersey, left five people dead, including three children, Friday night, local authorities confirmed.

Paterson Fire Chief Alex Alicea reported that the fire started around 9:54 pm and spread rapidly from the lower floor up to the upper levels of the house, driven by the strong winds recorded in the area.

“The fire broke “The blaze erupted with strong winds, which contributed to its rapid spread to the second floor, where five victims were eventually found—two adults and three children,” Alicea told ABC News' WABC affiliate in New York. Eleven survivors and multiple displaced persons. The blaze also left 11 survivors, all residents of the building, who are now displaced due to the severe structural damage caused by the fire. “The Red Cross is here on site to help with that,” Alicea added, highlighting the joint work of the rescue and assistance teams. Firefighters managed to control the flames after several hours of work, but the building was left practically uninhabitable. The identities of the victims have not yet been released pending notification of family members. For their part, investigators from the Paterson Fire Department and the New York State Fire Department are working to determine the origin and cause of the fire, although no hypothesis has been ruled out so far. The blaze is one of the deadliest recorded in Paterson in recent years, and local authorities urged the community to keep their smoke detectors and heating equipment checked, especially as temperatures drop.