FLORENCE TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A woman and a young girl were killed when a fast-moving fire left them trapped on the second floor of a southern New Jersey home, authorities said.
Another woman was injured in Sunday morning’s fire in Florence Township, but the girl’s mother and a 2-year-old child were able to safely escape the flames, township police Capt. Alvin Scully said. It was not immediately clear who owned the home or whether any of the five were related, authorities said.
The fire was reported around 2:05 a.m. by a neighbor who heard a woman screaming for help and saw the flames. Emergency crews soon responded and saw heavy smoke coming from the home. They also were told that at least two people were still trapped inside the residence.
The two people killed — 53-year-old Darlene Weir and 8-year-old Kayla Macario — were found on the home’s second floor. Rescuers were eventually able to reach them and tried to resuscitate them at the scene, but both died a short time later at a hospital.
Another person in the home, 23-year-old Chelsea Donagan, was being treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.
It was not immediately clear how or where the fire started, authorities said. It was being investigated by township police and Burlington County authorities.