Ocean County Authorities Have Ruled An Early Monday Morning Fire That Destroyed 6 Townhouses Accidental
Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 9:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By George Petruska: Englebrook Independent News,
TOMS RIVER, NJ.- A Toms River, New Jersey fire that injured six people, including three firefighters, when the fire ripped through the Mariners Townhouse Complex on Kettle Creek Road, leaving six townhouse units uninhabitable early Monday Morning has been ruled by Ocean County Authorities accidental.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Monday, July 1, 2024, shortly before 3:30 a.m., members of the Toms River Police Department and the Toms River Fire Department responded to multiple 911 Emergency Calls reporting a residential structure fire on Kettle Creek Road in Toms River.
Upon arrival, Police Officers and Firefighters two townhouse units fully engulfed in flames. Three residents who were safely able to escape the burning structures were transported Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of minor injuries. Where two were treated and released later Monday morning. The third individual was transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for further treatment. Three firefighters received minor injuries during the fire and were treated and released.
A swift-moving and extensive investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Arson Squad, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Police Department’s Detective Bureau, and the Toms River Township Bureau of Fire Prevention has determined that the cause of the fire was accidental and that a failure of energized electrical equipment can not be ruled out as to the cause.
As of Monday afternoon, two residential were completely destroyed in the blaze and four other units were uninhabitable due to heavy smoke and water damage. 10 people have been left without a home.
