Toms River Apartment Fire Caused By Smoking

Photo courtesy EXIT 82 Scanner News

  TOMS RIVER – Authorities have ruled the apartment fire that left one man with serious burns accidental.

  Around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, multiple Toms River Fire Departments were dispatched to an apartment complex on Broad Street regarding a fire with a burn victim. Officials said a 64-year-old tenant suffered serious burns to his body and was subsequently brought to Cooper Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for treatment and further evaluation.

  After extensive investigation, officials discovered that the fire originated on a mattress in the bedroom of the apartment, and the cause was accidental due to smoking.

  Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Toms River Township Police Department, and Toms River Township Bureau of Fire Prevention, for their combined and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation.