Video shows aftermath of deadly house fire in Washington Township, New Jersey

CBS News

12-05-2025

A criminal investigation continues after a fire destroyed a Gloucester County home, killing two people inside. In a social media post, Washington Township police said people called 911 to report an explosion early Sunday morning.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office does not believe that what happened at the home on Tranquility Court was an accident. They are looking into what exactly sparked the fire.
"I just couldn't go back to sleep after this, and today I'm still very, very nervous about the whole situation," Suzanne Pinto, a neighbor, said.
Neighbors living nearby in Washington Township, New Jersey, are still trying to make sense of the fire that took the lives of two people.
"I thought, 'Oh my gosh, did something come down from the sky?' It was one massive explosion, and then all you heard was like, it sounded like firecrackers, some people say it sounded like gunshots," Pinto said.
Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office believes fire was not accidental
Police said it happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday.
"It just jolted ya. I've never experienced that before; it was a huge explosion. It scared the heck out of me," Jill Rauf said as firefighters were working to extinguish the flames Sunday morning.
Drone Watch 3 showed the charred rubble and what little is left Monday afternoon. The raging fire melted the siding off the immediate neighbors' homes, including Rauf's.
"The house is gone! There's nothing left. It's gone and I don't know why," Rauf said.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said a man and a woman were found dead inside. They have yet to be publicly identified as autopsy results are pending.
However, Pinto said she has talked to the man who lived there several times.
"Didn't know what goes on in his home, of course, but I saw him every day walking his dog," Pinto said. She continued, "He's been here about five years. He rents the home, he's not the homeowner."
She and other neighbors believe he lived in the home alone.
Prosecutors added that it was an isolated incident, and the house caught fire quickly. They are looking into whether an explosion happened as part of the ongoing criminal investigation.