Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on Wednesday at approximately 1:30 p.m., multiple fire companies from the Berkeley Township area were dispatched to a structure fire on Tortola Street in Berkeley Township.
During the course of fire suppression efforts, a 59 year-old male victim was discovered on the floor in the residence. The victim was transported to RWJ Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
A thorough and extensive investigation 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.