The Red Cross is assisting dozens of people after a large fire in Hillside, N.J. 

Hillside Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Mary Dawkins said 32 residents were displaced and five businesses were impacted, including a flower shop, barber shop and a bodega. 

Residents say they rely on those small businesses, and their loss will be felt for a long time. 

"Received a call from one of my employees. They told me that they were going to be evacuated from the building, that one of businesses caught on fire," barber shop owner Marc Herman said. "I put everything into this. For sure. So it's a tragic situation, but material things can always be replaced. I'm just happy that God protected my family and my employees." 

"So, it's really a devastation to our township to have this happen. The good part is there was no loss of life. We had two minor injuries," Dawkins said.   

"We are all about rebuilding at this stage, supporting our small businesses that were impacted that had been cornerstones of this community for decades," Hillside Mayor Dahlia Vertreese said. 

The fire started at an auto repair shop on Maple and Conklin avenues just after 7 p.m. Tuesday. It quickly spread to nearby businesses and homes. Witnesses described hearing an explosion at the auto repair shop. A fire ensued, burning a large amount of chemicals and tires in the shop. That sparked concern in the surrounding neighborhood about a large, toxic cloud of smoke. 

One of several explosions was caught on a neighbor's doorbell camera. 

The six-alarm fire burned for hours. Three people were injured, including two firefighters. They're all expected to be OK. 

"When the roof fell, that's when I went inside. I said, 'I'm not watching this anymore.' The smoke started coming up a little bit more," neighbor Mac White said. 

Neighbors were asked to stay inside with their windows closed. 

"I was coughing bad because the horrible smell in the air was very pungent," Hillside resident Aderinsola Babwale said. 

The fire was placed under control Wednesday morning. Fire crews remained on the scene to make sure it stayed under control. 

"We want to make sure that any chemicals we may have been fighting against in this fire are properly cleaned up, that it's not leaking into our water," Vertreese said.

"Union County hazmat is on the scene and they have tested the air quality, and as of now, it's down to a good quality," Hillside Fire Chief Rashawn Carey said. 

Fire crews worked around the clock. Officials said the fire could've been much worse, if not for their efforts. 

"You can only credit the amazing fire department that we have here that saved a couple of the houses that's out there because of their work, all of the mutual aids that came to our rescue," Dawkins said. 

Carey said the flames were so difficult to fight because of the multiple flammable chemicals in the autobody shop. He also said a gas line ruptured, providing additional fuel.