Fatal Fire Claims Four Lives in Ocean County
Obituary for Robert Wachendorf
August 2, 2023
A Teenage Girl and a 4 Month Old Baby Were Among the Victims Identified in Tragic House Fire in Ocean County
August 2, 2023Fatal Fire Claims Four Lives in Ocean County
Fatal Fire Claims Four Lives in Lacey Township
According to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, on August 1, 2023, at approximately 12:30 p.m., a structure fire involving entrapment was reported on Buttonwood Drive in the Lanoka Harbor part of Lacey Township,
When firefighters arrived, they discovered a completely involved two-story structure fire. A female victim was recovered from the structure's rear and sent to Community Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. According to reports, there were four more victims within the premises. Rescue efforts were conducted, however the roof of the facility collapsed, forcing firefighters to evacuate.
“This is an absolutely tragic situation. Sadly, four of the occupants of the residence perished in this fire. 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,” stated Prosecutor Billhimer.
“This is an absolutely tragic situation. Sadly, four of the occupants of the residence perished in this fire. 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,” stated Prosecutor Billhimer.
Smoke could be seen from the opening in the roof of the house hours after the fire was initially reported at 12:30 p.m. A burning odor blanketed the neighborhood, which had been cordoned off by police and sheriff's deputies.
Lacey and surrounding town firefighters and first responders were on the scene.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, and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office are all investigating the origin and cause of the fire, according to the prosecutor.
"More information will be released as it becomes available," stated Billhimer.
