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CBS News
13-05-2025
- CBS News
Washington Township house fire, possible explosion tied to murder-suicide plot, prosecutors say
A deadly house fire and possible explosion that destroyed a Washington Township, New Jersey, home and left two people dead is being investigated as a murder-suicide, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office. Authorities responded to Tranquility Court in Washington Township for a fire that broke out just after 2 a.m. Sunday to find the home completely engulfed in flames. Once the fire was brought under control and extinguished, investigators found two bodies — a man and a woman — dead inside what was left of the home. Officials have not identified either of the victims. Prosecutors said the man, who is said to be the primary tenant of the home, was found in the living room with a handgun near him. The Gloucester County Medical Examiner ruled the man died by suicide, caused by the fire. The woman was found in bed and had suffered a gunshot to the head before the fire broke out, prosecutors said. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. Investigators found an accelerant and that the home's gas line had been tampered with, allowing natural gas to flow into the home. The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, Washington Township police and Gloucester County Fire Marshal's Office are continuing to investigate the fire and the events that led up to it. Prosecutors urge anyone with information about the fire to contact Detective Allen Williams with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office at 856-384-5622 or Detective Matthew Laudenslager with the Washington Township Police Department at 856-589-0330 ext. 1176.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- CBS News
2 killed in house explosion and fire in Washington Township, New Jersey, prosecutor's office says
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said a criminal investigation is underway after two people were killed in an explosion and fire at a Washington Township home. Washington Township police said a loud explosion prompted multiple 911 calls just after 2 a.m. on Sunday near Tranquility Court and Orion Way. A home on Tranquility Court was fully on fire when officers arrived, and the flames had spread to part of a neighboring house. Washington Township fire crews worked for about half an hour to get the blaze under control, according to Gloucester County officials. The prosecutor's office confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia later Sunday morning that two people, a man and a woman, were killed in the explosion. While investigators don't believe the explosion and fire were accidental, the prosecutors' office said it appears this was an isolated incident and there's no ongoing threat to the general public. No one else was injured. A home was destroyed by a possible explosion and fire in Washington Township, New Jersey Washington Township Police Department "It just jolted you," said Jill Rauf, who lives in the neighborhood. "I've never experienced that before. It was a huge explosion. It was very scary." Rauf said half the siding on her own home melted off. "You never think anything like this could happen," she said. "You just don't expect it. And the house that was standing next door, now it's gone." Neighbors as far as two blocks away say they felt the force. A woman who lives across the street said something from the incident led to a hole in one of her front windows. "It's terrifying," she said. "You think people are just living their lives, and you don't ever really know what they're going through." Police, along with fire investigators, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Fire Marshal's Office, are all actively working to determine what led to the explosion. This is a developing story. CBS News Philadelphia will provide more details as new information becomes available.
