NJ sisters killed trying to rescue father from house fire on Thanksgiving

Muri Assuncao, New York Daily News on Nov 28, 2025

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Two New Jersey sisters died Thanksgiving night while trying to rescue their father from a fast-moving house fire in Essex County.

The deadly Orange Township fire started around 5 p.m., investigators said.

Witnesses said they saw “enormous” flames coming from the Mosswood Avenue home and alerted authorities.

The response was prompt, with firefighters arriving within two minutes of the alert, neighbor Claire Stevens told ABC 7 New York.

There was not enough time to save 49-year-old Frantzia Fleury and 42-year-old Pojanee Fleury, who reportedly died while trying to rescue their father, who lives with a disability.

The Fleury sisters were pronounced dead at the scene at 6:47 p.m., Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Orange Fire Department Chief Derrick Brown told The New York Daily News in a statement on Friday.

The father, who has not been named, and six other people were able to get out safely and were not injured.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, authorities said Friday, noting that no additional details were available.

A spokesperson for the Red Cross of New Jersey said its volunteers were providing emergency assistance for eight people displaced by the fire.

Orange Township in Essex County is about 15 miles west of Midtown Manhattan.