Girl is killed and her sister is missing after a fire destroys several
New Jersey homes
[April 11, 2025]
By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI
A fire
raced through a southern New Jersey neighborhood, destroying six homes,
killing a girl and leaving her sister unaccounted for, authorities said
Thursday.
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This aerial video image provided by WPVI shows houses damaged from a
fire in Millville, N.J., Thursday, April 10, 2025. (WPVI via AP) |
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The blaze in Millville was reported at around 11 p.m. Wednesday,
but firefighters' initial efforts were hampered because a nearby
hydrant wasn't working, Millville Fire Chief John Wettstein
said. Crews had to run about 800 feet (about 240 meters) 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.
Two homes were engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and
the blaze soon spread to a third.
The body of one girl was found amidst the rubble, and
authorities were searching for her sister. The girls' father was
injured in the blaze and was taken to a hospital for treatment
of non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Their names
haven't been released.
About two dozen residents were displaced. One woman said she and
her three young children safely escaped their burning home
because the fire awoke her boyfriend, who was able to alert them
and get them to safety.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Firefighters
were still searching the rubble and spraying hot spots Thursday
afternoon. The fire's heat was so intense that it melted part of
a fire truck and a parked car.
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