Two children, including a four-month-old infant, were among the four persons died in a house fire in the Lanoka Harbor neighborhood, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer on Wednesday morning.
The fire prompted a massive response from area first responders, including the Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department.
Even hours after the fire was first reported at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, billowing smoke was visible from the opening in the top of the house. A burning smell had filled the neighborhood, where police and sheriff’s officers had blocked off several streets.
A fifth victim, Brenda Wright, 67, survived the blaze when she was rescued from the back of the split-level, single-family house on Buttonwood Drive. Brenda Wright was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River where her condition was listed as stable on Wednesday.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley released a statement saying – “It is with great sadness that I must report the loss of Jennifer Wright, 39; Alaina Wright, 34; a 14-year-old female victim; and a four-month-old infant, all of whom were occupants of the residence, and perished in the fire,” Billhimer said. “This is an unspeakable tragedy, and our prayers are with the loved ones of these victims.”
An investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is being conducted by the Arson Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Detective Bureau of the Lacey Police Department, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit of the Sheriff’s Office, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, the prosecutor explained.
