A New Jersey state lawmaker is related to the family of five killed in a house fire in Paterson on Friday night.

“Please keep my family in your prayers as we grieve the loss of my cousin, his wife, and their children. Our hearts are broken, but we trust that God will give us strength during these difficult times,” state Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz, D-Passaic, posted on Facebook Saturday, referencing the fire.

The Democrat, who represents parts of Bergen and Passaic counties, did not immediately respond to a message left on his social media page.

The fire tore through a single-family home on Emerson Avenue Friday night, trapping a father, mother, and three children, ages 14, 12 and 7, on the second floor, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh has said.

Officials have not publicly identified the victims.

The city’s police and fire department started receiving calls about the fire at 9:50 p.m. on Friday, Halloween night.

Seven other residents of the home who live on the first floor made it out safely before wind-driven flames drove back neighbors’ attempts to rescue the victims.

“There were attempts, but due to the severity of the fire and then the fact that it was compounded by the wind, they weren’t going to be able to help them at all,” Sayegh told reporters Saturday, according to NorthJersey.com.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday.

A GoFundMe page shared by Paterson’s firefighter union has been started to pay for funerals and aid the surviving residents, some of whom were related to the victims.

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