Newark, NJ house fire kills 2 young girls

NEWARK, N.J. - Two young girls were killed in a house fire in Newark, New Jersey overnight, an Essex County spokesperson told FOX 5. 

It happened at 26 Eckert Avenue just before midnight. 

"A lot of smoke, a lot of screaming. Firefighters were screaming, it was sad," neighbor Dalisa Anthony said. "Once they realized it was children that were deceased, it was rough." 

Neighbors said a father tried to get up a ladder outside the house to save the girls, ages 6 and 8, but that he fell off and collapsed.

One neighbor's life was spared because he says he decided to spend the night at his son’s to avoid noise coming from the party.

"I’m only here by the grace of God. Because they had took the furniture out of the front room on the second floor and put it inside the hallway, so I wouldn’t have been able to get downstairs," resident Lynwood Duncan said.

Witnesses told detectives there was a birthday party for one of the girls on the second floor of the house. According to the Essex County prosecutor's office, witnesses say the girls were playing with fire near a couch in the hallway.

Detectives confirm the fire started on the second floor and spread to the third floor.

Andrew Simpson gave the father his ladder, but soon after, the two girls' bodies were wrapped in blankets on his front lawn.

"I was crying. I didn’t want them to see me crying," Simpson said.

Neighbors also said that the multifamily home was overcrowded.

"They had multiple families living on the second floor as well as the sun porch," Duncan said. 

"Life is serious right now. People can’t afford to buy a load of bread, so in many cases, we were forced to huddle together to make ends meet, so you can’t blame it on the family. But I will tell you they were a strong family, loving family, caring family," neighbor Shonda Simpson said.

A family who lives on the first floor gathered their belongings and took them out of the house. 

The Red Cross says at least 15 people are displaced.

According to neighbors, the girls were beautiful, vibrant and playful. 

The community is now mourning as these young girls' lives were cut short.

"We are profoundly heartbroken by the loss of two of our beloved students following this morning’s tragic fire at 26 Eckert Avenue," Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger Leon said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to their families during this unimaginable time of grief."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

This story is developing. Stay with FOX 5 NY for more updates.