4 dead, 1 injured after fire in Lacey Township, Ocean County
LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- Four people died in a house fire in Lacey Township on Tuesday afternoon, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. The fire happened inside a house at around 12:30 p.m. on Buttonwood Drive in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township.
Officials identified the victims Wednesday as 39-year-old Jennifer Wright, 34-year-old Alaina Wright, a 14-year-old girl and a 4-month-old.
Brenda Wright, 67, was rescued from the rear of the building in the blaze. She was taken to the Community Medical Center for her injuries.
Officials said crews arrived on the scene and found the home fully engulfed in flames. Attempts to rescue the victims were unsuccessful, officials said.
The roof of the building collapsed, which forced firefighters to evacuate.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
"This is an absolutely tragic situation. Sadly, four of the occupants of the residence perished in this fire," Billhimer said in a release. "An investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is being conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office-Arson Unit, Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal's Office, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office. More information will be released as it becomes available."