News12 New York
N12 Originals
Numbers & Links
Local
Crime
Weather
Politics
Toll of Commuting
Sunny
66°
Local
Crime
Weather
Politics
Toll of Commuting

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

Updated

Share:

More Stories

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.


Top Stories

App StoreGoogle Play Store

info

Newsletter

Send Photos/Videos

Contact

About Us

News Team

News 12 New York

follow us

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

more resources

Optimum Corporate

Optimum Service

Advertise on News 12

Careers

Content Removal Policy

© 2026 N12N, LLC

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Ad Choices