Two dead in Washington Township house fire under criminal investigation

A powerful fire destroyed a single-family home early Sunday morning at 13 Tranquility Court in Washington Township, Gloucester County’s largest municipality, killing two people and prompting a criminal investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, less than a week after another tragedy struck the community, where Mayor Anthony DellaPia ousted a Democratic incumbent in November.

At 2:02 a.m., emergency dispatchers began receiving a series of 911 calls reporting a loud explosion and a fire in the area of Tranquility Court and Orion Way. Officers arriving at the scene found the house at 13 Tranquility Court fully engulfed in flames.

Fire crews from the Washington Township Fire Department responded quickly and battled the blaze, which had already begun to spread to part of a neighboring house.

The community is still reeling over the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old township boy who was a student at Birches Elementary, according to Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.

Gurcsik said officers responded to a residence on the 400 block of Westminster Boulevard in Turnersville at about 2:34 p.m. on May 6. First responders found the youth with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

Despite the efforts of firefighters, the 1,360 sq ft three-bedroom ranch-style home, built in 1978, was destroyed, burning to the ground in a blaze so intense it melted a car in the driveway.

Authorities initially believed the fire may have been triggered by an explosion, but investigators later clarified that the blasts heard by neighbors likely occurred after the fire began.

The cause of the fire has not been publicly identified, though officials with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office have confirmed the investigation is being handled as a criminal matter.

Two bodies, one male and one female, were recovered from the wreckage.

Their identities have not yet been released pending autopsy results and notification of next of kin.

The Gloucester County Coroner’s Office is conducting autopsies, while investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office, Washington Township Police, the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, and the township fire marshal continue to examine the scene for evidence.

Officials have emphasized that while the fire is being treated as suspicious, they believe the incident is isolated and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

The fire sent shockwaves through the quiet residential neighborhood of Hidden Lakes. Neighbors described being jolted awake by what sounded like an explosion and seeing flames consume the home within minutes.

“The whole house was in flames already, that fast, as soon as the explosion happened,” said local resident Jimmy Gibson. Another neighbor, Jill Rauf, said the heat was so intense it melted part of the siding on her home. “The house that was standing next door, now it’s gone,” she said.

Surveillance footage reviewed by local media shows the moment the home erupted in flames. Authorities have not commented on what role, if any, the contents of the home or accelerants may have played in the rapid spread of the fire, but noted that they are considering multiple factors in their investigation.

As of Monday morning, no further details had been made public. Law enforcement agencies have asked for patience from the community as they work to determine the circumstances leading up to the fatal blaze.

No additional injuries were reported, and authorities have not commented on the whereabouts or condition of a man and a dog neighbors said lived at the residence.