59-year-old Man Killed in Ocean County, NJ Fire; Ruled Accidental

Authorities in Ocean County say a 59-year-old man died in a fire Wednesday afternoon.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer's office says at around 1:30, multiple fire companies were dispatched to a structure fire on Tortola Street in Berkeley Township.

As firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze, a 59-year-old man was discovered inside.

He was taken to RWJ Community Medical Center in Toms River where he later died from his injuries.

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Smoking to blame

A thorough and extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Berkeley Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Berkeley Township Bureau of Fire Prevention, determined that the fire originated on a recliner in the living room of the residence, and that cause of the fire was accidental due to smoking.

As of Thursday afternoon, authorities had not released the man's name.

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