Two sisters died in house fire while saving their disabled father, says Essex County Prosecutor

Two sisters died in a Thanksgiving Day house fire while helping their disabled father escape, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The victims were identified as Frantzia Fleury, 49, and Pojanee “PJ” Fleury, 42.

The fire broke out around 5 p.m. Thursday at a home on Mosswood Avenue. Prosecutors said the sisters died trying to rescue their father, who is disabled and has dementia. They were pronounced dead at the scene at 6:45 p.m.

Their father and six other people escaped safely and were not injured, authorities said. The home has been declared uninhabitable.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tip line at 877-847-7432.

A cousin of the victims, Sidney, who did not want to share his last name, said the sisters each had one child.

“Understand these two women had big hearts, they were deeply devoted to their families, and it’s just a tragedy,” he said.

Neighbor Justin McDaniel, who said he is close with the family, was not surprised to hear the sisters died while trying to save their father.

“Hearing that both of them were trying to do something like that, that’s not too surprising for me to hear,” McDaniel said. “You wish they were still here.”

Neighbors who witnessed the fire said the flames spread quickly.

“We were just afraid that our neighbors may be in there and not able to get out,” said neighbor Claire Stevens on Thursday night. “We were able to come out and try to comfort some of the neighbors that were also very concerned.”

Relatives said PJ Fleury was an inventor and author, and Frantzia Fleury worked in medicine.