1 child found, another still missing after fast-moving fire in South Jersey
MILLVILLE, New Jersey (WABC) -- One child's body has been recovered and the search continues for a second child after a massive fire burned through several homes in Millville, New Jersey.
The search is being described as a recovery mission.
Sister station Action News spoke to a family member who said the children are his nieces, ages 9 and 13. It wasn't immediately known which child was found.
Flames spread to a total of six homes late Wednesday night, displacing 23 people.
Drone 6 was above the spot where the fire burned two duplexes down to the foundation and badly damaged two single-family homes.
"Everything's burned to the ground. We have nothing. My daughter has no shoes on her feet. My son has no coat. We have nothing," said Iteaia Broughton, of Millville.
Nearly two dozen people are facing the same reality after narrowly escaping the fast-moving fire.
Action News was told that a gas line ruptured, which fed the fire and made it more intense, allowing the flames to jump from house to house.
"Until the South Jersey gas arrived and was able to turn the gas off to all the houses, we did have a gas-fed fire that made it a little bit more difficult," said Chief John Wettstein, with the Millville Fire Department.
Broughton, a mother of three, described how it all happened so quickly.
"I just put my baby on my shoulder and went outside and I grabbed my son. I don't know what happened," Broughton recalled.
Another issue is that the hydrant on the block didn't work when firefighters arrived. The chief said they had to run 800 feet of hose to the nearest hydrant after the trucks ran out of water.
One resident says he watched his home burn down as crews scrambled to get access to water.
The fire chief said they aren't quite ready to give more details on the two children. But they did say the adult taken to the hospital is a family member of the children. That person is expected to be OK.
The Red Cross is assisting those displaced.
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