🔥Fire broke out around 11 p.m. Wednesday night and spread to six homes

🔥Two floors that collapsed in one of the homes ruptured a gas line

🔥The closest fire hydrants has "issues," according the fire chief


This story was updated that the missing children are sisters and the body of one of them was found.

MILLVILLE — Rescuers have found the body of one of two young sisters missing after a fire burned six homes Thursday morning.

A faulty fire hydrant and a gas main may have contributed to the blaze.

The fire began around 11 p.m. in a home on 4th Street and spread to additional homes on the block,  Millville Fire Chief John Wettstein told CBS Philadelphia.  At least 23 people were displaced by the fire with two children unaccounted for.

The body of one girl was found amidst the rubble, and authorities were searching for her sister on Thursday afternoon. 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.

A member of the girl's family told NBC Philadelphia that two other siblings and their parents escaped the flames.

Holly City Family Success Center on its Facebook page said it is collecting new items for the family Thursday until 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

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Melting firetruck

Wettstein said the collapse of two floors inside one of the homes caused a gas line to rupture and feed the fire. Firefighters had to lay 1,000 feet of hose after nearby fire hydrants had issues.  About 1,300 gallons of water carried in by fire trucks and from a tower were quickly exhausted, according to the chief.

Red Cross New Jersey said it was already on scene assisting residents with housing, food and clothing.

The flames were so hot that the front of a fire truck melted, the chief said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

(Includes material Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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