Victim of East Orange fatal fire identified at 69-year-old woman

EAST ORANGE, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi announced July 26 that the victim of a fatal fire on Friday, July 22, has been identified as Cherry Davis, 69, of East Orange.

The three-alarm fire broke out at approximately 12:30 a.m. on July 22 in an apartment located on the 100 block of Prospect Street in East Orange. The victim was pronounced dead at 10:01 a.m. at University Hospital in Newark.

Firefighters were able to rescue many residents from the apartment building, but Davis was trapped in her apartment, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.  

The preliminary investigation indicates the fire may have been started when a vehicle near the building caught fire.

The investigation, which is being handled by the ECPO, and East Orange Police and Fire departments, is active and ongoing. No other information is available at this time.