2 Killed, 1 Hurt After Fire Ravages Browns Mills Home
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BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- Two members of the same family were killed in a house fire in Burlington County, Tuesday night.
Pemberton Fire Chief Craig Augustoni said one of the victims is a woman who was taken to Lourdes-Deborah Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. She has been identified as 92-year-old Lore Smith. An elderly man also was pronounced dead at the scene.
It appears the fire started in an attached garage and quickly spread to the house.
The fire started just before 8:45 p.m. on the 500 block of Willow Boulevard in Browns Mills. When firefighters arrived, they learned several people were trapped inside.
Another man was taken to Temple University Hospital. He is listed in stable condition with complications from smoke inhalation.
No firefighters were hurt.
"We haven't had a fatality in quite a few years. We're very proud of that. But unfortunately now, our community is suffering a loss tonight," Augustoni said. "Back in the 80's, we lost two children on this street so for me it brings back memories."
"I kept trying to say 'get down, get down.' Even when I was down on the ground the smoke was just unbelievable—you couldn't see, you couldn't breathe," Tina Mucie, a caretaker for one of the victims.
A neighboring home sustained minor damage to its siding.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office, Burlington County and Pemberton Township Police are looking into the cause of the fire.