59-year-old Man Killed in Ocean County, NJ, Fire; Ruled Accidental
Authorities in Ocean County say a 59-year-old man died in a fire Wednesday afternoon.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer's office says at around 1:30, multiple fire companies were dispatched to a structure fire on Tortola Street in Berkeley Township.
As firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze, a 59-year-old man was discovered inside.
He was taken to RWJ Community Medical Center in Toms River where he later died from his injuries.
Smoking to blame
A thorough and extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Berkeley Township Bureau of Fire Prevention, determined that the fire originated on a recliner in the living room of the residence, and that cause of the fire was accidental due to smoking.
As of Thursday afternoon, authorities had not released the man's name.