Girls, 6 and 8, Were Playing with Fire at Birthday Party Before They Died from Blaze

Mar. 15, 2025

One of the two deceased girls' birthdays was being celebrated outside and the festivities were moved indoors when it got chilly, another child told theNew York Daily News.Later, around 12:30 a.m. local time, the two girls were “playing with fire near a couch in the hallway” on the second floor, per the ECPO press release.

As the fire spread through the home, it blew out the windows on both the second and third floors.

Neighbor Shonda Simpson called 911 when she saw the flames. “First responders were here within minutes, and they came strong," Simpson toldCBS News. “People were doing whatever they could do get the kids out and it wasn’t doable.”

“I saw firefighters running, I saw families running for their lives, evacuating,” neighbor Adrianna Santos toldNJ.com. “People were crying, people were screaming. It was a whole bunch of commotion.”

Stock image of firetruck.Getty

Getty

“The firefighters were visibly shaken up,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said, reported theDaily News. “Two children dead in a fire is a horrible experience. You could feel that in the air.”

At least 15 other people from seven different families were treated for burn wounds. The home next to it was also heavily damaged. The exact cause of the fire has not been determined, and an investigation is ongoing.

Stock image of firefighter team holding fire extinguishing.Getty

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Several neighbors also stated that the home was overcrowded. Third-floor resident Linwood Duncan told ABC 7 that “at least 20 people” live on the second floor, adding he previously complained to the rental company.

The city of Newark said no official complaints about the home or its landlord have been filed. “The only calls we’ve ever gotten from that property were garbage and debris calls,” Mayor Baraka said, per ABC 7.

source: people.com