Maryland sisters, 21 and 19, are killed in Hamptons house fire despite father trying to save them

A house fire on Long Island in the early hours of Wednesday morning left two young sisters from Maryland dead.

Jillian and Lindsay Wiener, 21 and 19, were fast asleep at around 3:30 a.m. in the family’s vacation home in Noyack Bay on Long Island when it caught fire. 

Lewis Wiener, the girls’ 60-year-old father, was awoken by the sound of broken glass and immediately attempted to evacuate his family. 

However, while Lewis’ wife, 52-year-old Alisa Wiener and son, 23-year-old Zachary, were both able to get out, Jillian and Lindsay were trapped in their upstairs bedroom, according to WUSA. 

Lewis reportedly tried to re-enter the home to go back for the girls, but the fire was too strong. 

The family of five was known to vacation at this home in the Long Island Hamptons town of Noyack Bay

Lewis Wiener, the girls’ 60-year-old father (pictured center), was awoken by the sound of broken glass and immediately attempted to evacuate his family

Lindsay, 19, was weeks shy of starting her sophomore year at Tulane University in New Orleans

Jillian, 21, was about to begin her senior year at the University of Michigan, where she was an earth and environmental science student 

Local officials have said that the cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious, according to the New York Post. 

Jillian was about to begin her senior year at the University of Michigan, where she was an earth and environmental science student, according to her LinkedIn. While her younger sister Lindsay was just weeks shy of starting her sophomore year at Tulane University in New Orleans. 

Their father, Lewis, is the president of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, a group that refers to itself as a ‘progressive, inclusive, caring, and compassionate, we embrace our connection to Reform Judaism and the warmth and wonder of God.’

He’s also a trial attorney and previously spent six years working for the Department of Justice. 

The family’s Maryland synagogue said in a statement: ‘The world has lost two beautiful lights today, and the Washington Hebrew Congregation community is heartbroken. Through their leadership and service, acts of kindness, and friendship, the Wiener family – Lewis, Alisa, Zach, Jillian, and Lindsay – has touched so many lives at Washington Hebrew.’

The girls’ father, Lewis, is the president of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, a group that refers to itself as a ‘progressive, inclusive, caring, and compassionate, we embrace our connection to Reform Judaism and the warmth and wonder of God’

The cause of the fire remains under investigation

Local officials have said that the cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious

The family was known to vacation at this home in the Long Island Hamptons town of Noyack Bay.

Goli Azhdam, a family friend, said: “My heart is just full of sadness hearing this news. I knew them since they were born and it’s truly shocking. Truly, extremely sad news.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.