A family is trying to recover after two sisters died in a massive fire in a neighborhood in South Jersey. Nearly two dozen people have been displaced by the fires that engulfed seven homes and some cars. NBC10’s Shaira Arias spoke with the family of the two young girls that lost their lives.
What to Know
- Authorities say a fire raced through a southern New Jersey neighborhood, destroying six homes, killing two girls, according to family members.
- The girls' father was injured in the blaze and was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
- Millville Fire Chief John Wettstein says the blaze in Millville was reported at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, but firefighters’ initial efforts were hampered because a nearby hydrant wasn’t connecting. Crews had to run about 800 feet of hose to another hydrant and nearly that length to a third to combat the blaze, which burned for several hours before it was brought under control.
UPDATE: Family members identified the two girls who were killed in the fire. Latest details here
Intense flames tore through several South Jersey houses overnight, leaving two homes leveled. Family members later said two girls died in the fire after the failed to get out of their home.
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WATCH HEREThe fire broke out around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, along 4th Street by Railroad Avenue, Millville Fire Chief John Wettstein said.
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Two children were unaccounted for early Thursday as firefighters searched the smoldering rubble, officials said.
Local
Late in the morning the family got the worst news, two children were were believed dead.
A family member said the body of one of the girls was found Thursday morning, and then in the afternoon, the body of the other sister was found.
The girl's parents and two other younger siblings were able to escape the flames, a family member said. They thought the girls were behind them, but the girls didn't make it out alive.
Officials didn't immediately name the girls.
The girls' father was injured in the blaze and was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
"It takes a few minutes, just a house falling apart, knowing those two girls were in there and no one could save them," community activist Arcelia Vivar Espinosa said.
No firefighters suffered any injuries.
The fire quickly spread
When firefighters arrived they found flames coming from two of the houses, Wettstein said. They began to battle the flames, but had to extend a hose hundreds of feet further away due to a broken hydrant nearby.
Millville Mayor Benjamin Romanik later said the nearby hydrant itself wasn't broken, but that the hose connection point broke as crews arrived on scene. "The hose could not be attached to the fire hydrant."
Natural gas lines helped feed the flames until the gas company arrived to cut off the gas to the houses, Wettstein said. Several other fire departments joined in the firefight.
Video from behind the homes shows the fire raging with the sound of crackling as smoke and flames rise.
The fire left six homes damaged, two of the homes destroyed, Wettstein said. At least 23 residents were displaced.
The fire struck as some residents were sleeping.
"I can hear someone yelling 'get out, get out,' but I'm asleep, so I'm thinking it's a dream," resident Iteaia Broughton said while still in shock after the fire. "But then my boyfriend comes in and he wakes me up, he's likes, 'you guys gotta get out,' said 'fire.' So we wake up the kids. Thank God we made it out. If it wasn't for him I don't know if I would have survived it."
"I can't believe this happened," the mother said while crying.
The American Red Cross New Jersey Region said by midday Thursday they had already helped 11 of the displaced people for four separate families. Among the services available are lodging, food and clothing.
Smoke and flames continue for hours after fire began
Nearly seven hours after the fire began, smoke continued to rise, as shown in Instagram video from Matt DeLucia. A parked car appeared to have melted from the heat and flames.
The heat of the fire was so intense that it visibly melted part of a Millville firetruck.
"The truck's probably going to be out of service for a while until it's repaired," Wettstein said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
"I never wish a day to anyone like this here in the city in Millville or anywhere in the great state of New Jersey," Romanik said.
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