MILLVILLE, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A fire spread across six homes in Millville, Cumberland County, Wednesday night, injuring one man and leaving two young sisters dead.
Around 11 p.m., the fire quickly spread from one duplex to another on Fourth Street near Railroad Avenue, then to two neighboring single-family homes. In all, 21 people were displaced and one man was hospitalized. He has non-life-threatening injuries.
Family members said two sisters, ages 9 and 13, never made it out.
The girls' father told NBC10 he alerted his daughters of the fire, then went to get his 2-year-old twins. Only when he got outside did he realize the older girls weren't with him.
Fire Chief John Wettstein said when firefighters arrived, they ran into a problem with the hydrant closest to the house.
“The cap on the fire hydrant was stuck, and as we were working to get the cap off so we could hook up to it, the fire hydrant itself broke,” he said.
He said they connected to another one up the street, but that cost them valuable time. The searing heat damaged one of the fire trucks.
One of the houses collapsed and severed a gas line, which pumped fuel into the fire, Wettstein said.
Diana, who lives across the street, said she knew something wasn’t right because her house suddenly got very hot.
“Intense heat,” she said. “I get up, I come downstairs, and I see my living room was bright yellow. I look out the window and I see fire, fire, fire!”
Heavy white smoke rose from the charred rubble of some of the homes that were destroyed; only their chimneys still stand.
It took more than four hours to get the blaze under control. Mayor Ben Romanik said his heart goes out to the families and all affected.
“I never wish a day on anyone like this here in the City of Millville or in the great state of New Jersey for this to happen. I’m deeply saddened,” Romanik said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. According to preliminary information, the fire chief does not believe there was foul play.