Girl is killed and her sister is missing after a fire destroys several Millville, New Jersey homes

A fire raced through a southern New Jersey neighborhood, destroying six homes, killing a girl and leaving her sister unaccounted for, authorities said Thursday.

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.