Two people were killed and several homes damaged in a fire that raged Wednesday in Mansfield Township, N.J.
Firefighters were called to the three-alarm blaze in Burlington County, about 13 miles south of Trenton, around 1:30 a.m., according to Franklin Fire Company Chief Herbert DuBell Jr. The 911 caller reported victims were trapped inside the home on the 300 block of Wagon Wheel Circle.
“Upon arrival, crews found one house fully involved with fire,” officials said. But strong winds caused the flames to jump to an adjacent home, causing significant damage to both structures. Two other homes sustained minor exterior damage.
Overhead footage from ABC Philadelphia showed one house mostly reduced to smoking, charred rubble and another completely gutted.
DuBell said about 30 firefighters from multiple departments in Burlington County and Hamilton Township fought the fire.
“The fire fight was challenging due to the extreme cold temperatures, covering the scene with ice as well as the fire being driven by wind,” DuBell said in a statement.
After the fire was mostly extinguished, first responders were able to get inside the first home and found two adult victims who died in the blaze. Their identities and ages were not released.
Officials said the housing development, dubbed “Homestead,” is a community for people age 55 and over.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.