By Nawal Quarooni
The New Jersey Star-Ledger

Photo Ron Johnson/Photozonfire.com The Passaic Fire Department responds to the fatal blaze Saturday. Firefighters made an aggressive attempt to search upper floors for possible trapped victims, but were ordered out of the N.J. rowhouses when conditions deteriorated.

PASSAIC, N.J. — Nahed Francis returned home from her overnight shift yesterday morning to discover her red rowhouse in ashes. She would soon learn her children died in the blaze.

"She was hysterical," said Nagi Botros, a family member. "By the time we got here, we realized the kids passed away."

Jennifer Francis, 18, and her brother Mina Francis, 16, were killed when they became trapped in their second-floor bedrooms as the home went up in flames early yesterday morning.

The cause of the five-alarm fire that began on Howe Avenue in Passaic is still unknown but most likely began in the home's first-floor kitchen. It quickly spread to two adjoining houses, leaving dozens homeless.

Firefighters remained at the scene throughout yesterday, sifting through the ashes, while scores of neighbors watched from the sidewalk.

"These are old wooden buildings," said Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano. "The construction lends to a fire going very quickly."

It was just before 2 a.m. when a neighbor noticed smoke and sprinted half a block to pound on the firehouse door. Firefighters reached the house in minutes, but flames had already consumed the house's first and second floors.

Hearing that people might be trapped inside, a dozen firefighters charged in and raced up the stairs. But they were forced back by "rapidly spreading fire and tremendous heat," said Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost.

When they were able to re-enter the house after dousing the fire, they discovered the Francis siblings, Trentacost said.

They were 10 feet apart in separate upstairs bedrooms.

"It appears they attempted to get out into the hallway and down the stairwell and never made it," Trentacost said.

Officials initially explored the possibility of arson, but ruled that theory out by yesterday afternoon. Trentacost noted the lack of an accelerant and the fact that the blaze seemed to have originated in a kitchen.

 

Family and friends, tearful and distraught in front of the burned house, waited for the bodies to be removed.

They said the children's parents, Nahed and Safwa Francis, emigrated from Egypt to the United States 21 years ago. Jennifer and Mina, both Passaic High School students, were the couple's only children. The siblings were born and raised in New Jersey and the family spoke Arabic at home. They regularly attended church.

Safwa Francis had recently moved to Manalapan, but visited his children at least once a week.

Jennifer, a high school junior, wanted to study law and become a social worker, friends said. She also enjoyed modeling and taking photos of herself. She had aspirations of one day becoming an actress, said her friend Kayla Torres, 14. Mina, a freshman, was a solid stu dent who was often found sur rounded by books, relatives said.

"Jennifer was very ambitious. When she had a goal, she went for it," said 24-year-old Gina Francis, a cousin. "Mina was the quiet one, but he always had a smile on his face."

As word of the deaths spread yesterday, Passaic Schools Superintendent Robert Holster arranged to make grief counselors available tomorrow.

"Any time we lose a child, it affects not only the school community, but the entire community," Holster said.

Yesterday morning, the children's mother was overcome by emotion when she approached the scene and had to be restrained. She was taken by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic, where she remained yesterday for observation.

The family was grief-stricken, said Gina Francis. "It's hard to lose both of them at the same time."

Copyright 2008 The New Jersey Star-Ledger