Law enforcement officials in New Jersey have opened a criminal investigation into a devastating house fire — which, neighbors have called an explosion — on Sunday that left two people dead and a house left as little more than a pile of debris in Washington Township.
Prosecutors in Gloucester Township have told NBC10’s Neil Fischer that the Gloucester County Fire Marshal’s Office is working with law enforcement officials to determine how the deadly fire may have begin as the incident is now being considered a criminal investigation.
Officials also said the county’s coroner’s office is still working and has not yet prepared an autopsy report on the two individuals — a man and a woman — who were pulled from the wreckage of the home.
The identities of the two individuals found in the property have not yet been revealed by law enforcement officials.
On Sunday, the bodies of two people were removed from scattered debris after, neighbors claimed, a home exploded near the intersection of Orion Way and Tranquility Court in Washington Township, in Gloucester County, at abut 2 a.m. on Sunday.
Surveillance video that has been obtained by NBC10 shows the moments the home burst into flames and continued to burn to the ground.
Though, officials have said they consider the incident an “intense fire,” not an explosion.
Still, neighbor Suzanne Pinto, who called 9-1-1 when the incident occurred, said she heard a blast and saw flames when the home was destroyed.
“I was terrified, absolutely terrified,” Pinto told NBC10. “Because, I never heard an explosion like that in my life and it just was, the house was, basically, burning to the ground very, very quickly.”
An investigation is ongoing and, officials said they are waiting for the coroner’s report before sharing any new information.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.
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