'Unspeakable tragedy' Infant, teen among 4 killed in Buttonwood Drive Lacey Township fire
LACEY — Two children are among the four people killed in a house fire in the Lanoka Harbor section, including a four-month-old infant, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced on Wednesday morning.
“It is with great sadness that I must report the loss of Jennifer Wright, 39; Alaina Wright, 34; a 14-year-old female victim; and a four-month-old infant, all of whom were occupants of the residence, and perished in the fire,” Billhimer said. “This is an unspeakable tragedy, and our prayers are with the loved ones of these victims.”
Earlier: ‘Absolutely tragic situation.’Death toll in Lacey house fire climbs to 4: Prosecutor
A fifth victim, Brenda Wright, 67, survived the blaze when she was rescued from the back of the split-level, single-family house on Buttonwood Drive. Brenda Wright was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River where her condition was listed as stable on Wednesday.
Alicia Kemp, 58, who lives on Buttonwood Drive, was grief-stricken over the deaths of her neighbors.
“It’s just a tragedy, they were good kids,” Kemp said, her voice breaking with emotion. “The whole thing is awful, and not be able to save them. The whole town, the development came together, they tried to help the family get out. And, to not be able to do that is just awful. … My heart breaks for the family and all the souls they lost yesterday. We wanted to help them, we wanted them to be saved.”
Billhimer said the fire, which was reported at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday was accidental in nature. The prosecutor said that the fire started on a porch on the west side of the structure, “and that improperly discarded smoking material cannot be eliminated as the cause of the fire.”
The four people perished when the roof of the house collapsed during the blaze and firefighters were forced to evacuate the collapsing structure for their own safety, Billhimer explained.
The fire triggered a major response from area first responders, including the Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Department.
Even hours after the fire was first reported at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, billowing smoke could be seen from the opening in the top of the house. A burning odor had filled the neighborhood, where police and sheriff’s officers had blocked off several streets.
One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told the Asbury Park Press that the residence was distinctive on the street for the number of parked cars and trailers that spilled out from the driveway onto the front lawn of the home.
Firefighters and first aid crews from Lacey and its neighboring towns responded to the scene.
An investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is being conducted by 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, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office and the New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, the prosecutor explained.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 4 victims identified in Buttonwood Drive Lanoka Harbor fire
