A heroic attempt to save their ailing father from a house fire has ended in tragedy for two sisters, leaving a family and community heartbroken on a day typically reserved for gratitude.

Frantzia Fleury, 49, and her younger sister Pojanee "PJ" Fleury, 42, died after running back into their burning home in Orange, New Jersey, to rescue their father. The man, who is wheelchair-bound and suffers from dementia, managed to escape the blaze along with six other people, but the sisters were overcome by the flames.

The fire broke out at approximately 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, officials from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed. Despite the rapid response from firefighters, the sisters were pronounced dead at the scene less than two hours later. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and the home has been declared uninhabitable.

A Final Act of Love

While this tragedy unfolded thousands of kilometres away, its story of profound familial sacrifice resonates deeply with Kenyan values, where the bonds of family are paramount. The sisters' final act was one of unwavering devotion to their father.

Family members and neighbours described the sisters as pillars of their community. Frantzia was a radiologic technologist at a local medical centre and had previously served in the Marine Corps. Pojanee was a celebrated author, publisher, and inventor who founded Brown Eyez Magazine to promote positive artistry within the African-American community. A tribute from the Haitian All-StarZ network, where Pojanee was a member, remembered her as a "catalyst for change" and a "woman of action."

• Victims: Frantzia Fleury, 49, and Pojanee Fleury, 42.
• Location: Orange, New Jersey, USA.
• Outcome: The sisters perished; their father and six others escaped unharmed.
• Community Impact: Both women were mothers, each leaving behind one child.

A cousin, speaking to reporters, captured the family's immense grief, noting the sisters "were very deeply devoted to their families. And it's just a tragedy." Neighbours also expressed their shock, with one calling the scene "heartbreaking."

The sisters' selfless bravery stands as a painful, yet powerful, testament to the depths of familial love—a love that knows no borders and ultimately, for them, knew no limits.