Berkeley Township, NJ – Seven juveniles suffered burns after a flash fire erupted in a backyard firepit late Tuesday night, prompting a multi-agency investigation, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Authorities said the incident occurred around 10 p.m. on December 31 on North Trenton Avenue, where Berkeley Township police, fire, and emergency crews responded to reports of a fire with multiple burn victims. Emergency personnel found that all seven victims had been injured in what officials described as a sudden outdoor firepit flare-up.
Two of the juveniles were taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment and later released. A third was transported by her parents to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was also treated and released. The remaining four juveniles declined medical treatment after being evaluated at the scene.
Initial reports indicate that gasoline poured on the fire could have been the cause of the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under active investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Arson Squad, the Berkeley Township Police Detective Bureau, the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
