Millville Dad Asks For Help Coping After Losing His Daughters

Jhon Rodriguez, the father of two daughters who lost their lives in a Millville house fire last week, has started a GoFundMe for his family.

It is extremely sad to read this man's feelings less than a week after the passing of his oldest children.

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, my home located in the city of Millville caught fire, resulting in the loss of my two oldest daughters, Valery, 13 years old, and Gissel, 11 years old.

I never thought I would have to go through a moment like this, but unfortunately, this comes without warning. Not only did I lose my greatest treasure, my daughters, we also lost our home, our car, and absolutely everything.

I turn to your good hearts to ask for your support and help me cope with this difficult time a little. Thanks so much and blessings.

 A Ruptured Gas Line Started the Fire

The fire broke out at about 11 pm Wednesday and burned two duplexes down to the foundation and badly damaged two single-family homes.

A ruptured gas line fed the fire for several hours, making it more intense, allowing the flames to jump from house to house.

"Until the South Jersey gas arrived and was able to turn the gas off to all the houses, we did have a gas-fed fire that made it a little bit more difficult," Chief John Wettstein, with the Millville Fire Department, told 6ABC.

The sisters were unaccounted for in the wake of the fire until they were found in the rubble left behind.

Rodríguez said when the fire broke out at the family's home on South 4th Street in Millville, he and his girlfriend grabbed their 2-year-old twins, Rousse and Ahaia, and ran outside.

Rodríguez said he thought his older daughters were on their way out, but then the duplex collapsed and the sisters were trapped.

Their bodies were found in the basement of their home, Millville Commissioner of Public Safety C. Kirk Hewitt told Townsquare Media.

Massive Fire Leaves Over 20 People Displaced

21 people were displaced by the fire that destroyed six homes in four buildings on the block.

Firefighters were hampered by a non-functioning fire hydrant on the block.

One firefighter said they had to run 800 feet of hose -- more than 2.5 football fields -- to another hydrant to fight the fire.

How To Help the Rodríguez Family

Jhon Rodriguez will never get over losing his daughters in this fire.

He took a moment to remember the girls for CBS3.

"Valery was a girl who was very artistic and liked to sing and paint," Rodríguez said. "Gissel was a girl who was always very studious and mature."

As of Monday evening, April 14, the GoFundMe Rodriguez set up for his family was nearing its $12,000 goal.

But certainly, this family will need more than that to get settled again after losing everything in the fire and paying for the girls' funerals.

Here is a link to the Rodriguez family GoFundMe.