Two New Jersey Teens Killed in Blaze

PASSAIC, N.J. -- An early morning fire left two teenage siblings dead and damaged several rowhouses, officials said.

Killed were 18-year-old Jennifer Francis and her 16-year-old brother, Mina Francis, according to Det. Chris Giliberti of the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office's Arson, Explosives and Environmental Crimes Unit.

The fire started at about 2 a.m. and spread to several houses on the block. The two-story house where the victims were found was gutted by the blaze, Giliberti said.

No other injuries were reported. It was not immediately known how many people were in the other houses that were damaged.

A cause for the fire had not been established, and investigators were considering the possibility that it had been set deliberately.

"There's no evidence that it's arson, but we're not ruling anything out at this point," Giliberti said.

Copyright 2008 by WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Republished with permission of WABC-TV.