LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ – Four people were killed, and one woman was rescued from a burning home in Lacey Township Tuesday afternoon.
At approximately 12:30 p.m., a structure fire was reported on Buttonwood Drive in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township. The fire involved a two-story building fully engulfed in flames when firefighters and police arrived.
A female victim was discovered trapped inside the burning structure. She was rescued from the rear of the building and transported to the Community Medical Center to receive treatment for her injuries.
Rescue efforts revealed four additional victims believed to be inside the building. Despite courageous attempts by firefighters to reach them, the intensity of the fire led to a roof collapse, forcing the firefighters to evacuate the area for their safety.
Those four individuals were killed as a result, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer expressed his condolences and acknowledged the gravity of the situation. He assured the public that more information about the incident would be released as the investigation progresses.