LACEY – Authorities are investigating a deadly house fire that broke out Tuesday afternoon in Lanoka Harbor.
First responders were dispatched to a two-story home on Buttonwood Drive around 12:30 p.m. with multiple people trapped inside.
According to officials, a woman was rescued from the rear of the building and was brought to Community Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.
Officials reported that four additional victims were inside the structure, however firefighters were forced to evacuate after the roof collapsed.
“This is an absolutely tragic situation. Sadly, four of the occupants of the residence perished in this fire,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
At this time, the investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is being conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office-Arson Unit, Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office.
