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8-year-old girl, 70-year-old woman killed in Orange house fire

Firefighters were called to a home on Park Place just before 9 a.m. Crews from Orange and several surrounding communities spent hours battling the flames.

Kaiden Keitt

and

Jennifer Portorreal

Jul 11, 2026, 6:32 PM

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A girl and her grandmother were killed after a massive five-alarm house fire tore through a home in Orange on Saturday morning.

Prosecutors identified the victims as 8-year-old Bianca Mereste and 70-year-old Omilia Mereste.

Firefighters were called to a home on Park Place just before 9 a.m. Crews from Orange and several surrounding communities spent hours battling the flames.

The fire destroyed the home where it started and damaged neighboring houses. The fire also forced residents of one nearby home to evacuate. The fire displaced about 20 people, according to officials.

NJ Transit sent a cooling bus to assist residents and first responders at the scene, while the American Red Cross was helping families who were forced from their homes as of Saturday afternoon.


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