- Marques Hudson died from injuries sustained while fighting a house fire in New Jersey on Friday
- The two-year veteran of the city’s fire department “exemplified the ultimate courage of a dedicated first responder,” his colleagues said
- Hudson leaves behind three children, a mother, a brother and a sister
A New Jersey community is mourning a firefighter and father of three who died after fighting a house fire Friday.
Marques Hudson, 32, was responding to a fire at a two-family home on Emerson Avenue in Plainfield Friday morning when he was critically injured.
“He either fell through the floor or fell down the stairs, and we don’t know the circumstances at this point,” Mayor Adrian Mapp said at a news conference Friday. “There was an emergency that went out. And when that happened, four firefighters came in and got him out within 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.
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Ten residents were initially inside the multi-family residence when the fire broke out, according to ABC affiliate WABC-TV. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.
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Three other firefighters were also injured in the fire and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to WABC-TV and CBS affiliate WCBS-TV.
Hudson’s colleagues, family and friends mourn his loss. It’s also a first for the city, as no firefighter has ever died in the line of duty, the mayor said.
Firefighters check the results of a fire that broke out in a two-story, two-family home early on January 26, 2024.
Brian Branch Price/ZUMA Press Wire/SplashNews
“I lost someone who was under my direct charge and I can’t — I can’t put into words how I feel,” said Plainfield Fire Director Kenneth Childress, WABC-TV reported.
City Councilman Robert K. Graham told the station that Hudson joined the department in December 2021 and “exemplifies the utmost courage of a dedicated first responder.”
City and state officials also highlighted the character and engagement of the fallen firefighter as a public servant.
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“We are indebted to him in a way that cannot be fully described in words,” the city said in a statement. “His influence will endure, serving as a lasting source of inspiration and guidance for us in the days to come.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy ordered flags across the state to be flown at half-staff in Hudson’s honor.
“The tragic loss of this brave young man is a reminder of the great risks our firefighters face every day in the line of duty,” Murphy told WCBS-TV. “We owe a debt of gratitude to all the brave firefighters, like Firefighter Marques Hudson, who serve our country.”
In addition to his children, Hudson is survived by his mother, sister and brother News Courier reported.
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