LACEY – Authorities are investigating a fatal house fire that took the life of a 75-year-old resident in Lacey Township.
The fire broke out on January 3 at around 5:50 p.m. at a home on Signal Street. As first responders arrived, they found a man outside the home who was suffering from serious burns to his body.
The man, later identified as the homeowner, 75-year-old Edward Teixeira, was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of his injuries. The following day, he succumbed to those injuries, officials said.
After a thorough investigation, authorities discovered that the blaze began at the front exterior entrance on the south side of the home. According to officials, the cause of the fire remains undetermined, but “accidental causes cannot be ruled out.”
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledges the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Lacey Township Police Department, and New Jersey State Fire Marshal’s Office, for their combined and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation.
