Fire Kills 2 Young Girls In Newark After Birthday Party: Prosecutors

NEWARK, NJ -- A tragic fire claimed the lives of two young girls in Newark early Sunday morning, authorities said.

The fatal fire took place at 26 Eckert Street, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Emergency responders found the two girls lying unresponsive on the ground, with their bodies severely burned. Despite efforts to resuscitate them, the girls – who were 6 and 8-years-old – were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Witnesses told detectives there was a birthday party for one of the girls on the second floor of the residence, and the girls were playing with fire near a couch in the hallway. Detectives conducted a search of the premises and concluded the fire originated on the second floor and spread to the third floor, authorities said.

The prosecutor’s Crime Scene Investigations Bureau, which includes detectives from the Newark Fire Department, is investigating the cause and origin of the fire. No additional information was immediately available.

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