Two Children Unaccounted for as Blaze Destroys Millville, NJ, Houses
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Two children are unaccounted for after fire tore through six homes and displaced 23 residents in a Cumberland County community overnight.
Fire crews responded to the 300 block of South 4th Street in Millville around 11 p.m. Wednesday and found two houses fully engulfed, according to Millville Fire Chief John Wettstein.
Flames soon spread to a third.
It took firefighters five to six hours to bring the blaze under control, Wettstein said.
Of the 23 residents displaced by the flames, two juveniles remained unaccounted for as of Thursday morning, the chief said.
One resident was taken to a hospital for treatment, but did not appear to have life-threatening injuries, the chief reported. No other injuries were reported.
The Red Cross is arranging for shelter and other needs for the displaced residents.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Wettstein said.
As of 7 a.m. crews were dousing areas still smoldering and digging through the remains of the two duplexes and two single-family homes destroyed in the blaze.
“We’re wetting down hotspots. I have my fire investigation unit here and we’re starting the origin and cause investigation,” Wettstein said.
Crews encountered water supply issues as they battled the blaze, according to the chief.
“We used all the water we had on the engines to put out the fire and we ran into a water supply problem with the closest hydrant,” he said. They ran 800 feet of hose to a second hydrant and another 600 to 700 feet to a third to keep fighting the flames, he said.
Collapsing structures severed a gas line, which helped feed the flames, the chief reported, but a utility crew responded to shut off the gas.
Video from 6ABC showed crews battling the raging fire.
The flames were so intense that a tower firetruck used to douse the flames was damaged by the heat, blistering paint, cracking the windshield and damaging emergency lights, Wettstein confirmed, noting that the vehicle remained in operation Thursday morning.
“There’s extensive damage to the side of the tower truck. We’re hoping that most of the damage is just cosmetic,” he said.
Crews from Vineland, Rosenhayn, Cedarville, Downe Township, Maurice River Township and the New Jersey Forest Fire Service responded to assist Millville Fire Department.
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Matt Gray may be reached at [email protected].
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