The scene at 135 Statesir Place Tuesday morning. (Click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office continues to investigate the deadly fire that ripped through a Statesir Place home early this morning, First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said.
The names of the four people who were killed in the blaze have not been released, pending notification of family members, he said.
“My people are out there doing their due diligence,” Gramiccioni said.
The fire, called in at about 3a and extinguished at about 4a, left four dead and appears to have destroyed the bi-level, single family home in a residential section off Route 35.
Citing information from a neighbor, the Asbury Park Press reported that a male resident escaped from the blaze.
The home at 135 Statesir Place is listed as the property of Stephen and Sheridan Banovich, according to county property records, although Gramiccioni declined to identify the exact address and victims of the fire. He did confirm that all four victims were older than 18.
The Prosecutor’s Office, which is handling the case, continues to investigate the cause of the fire. Authorities are expected to be at the scene throughout the day.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Natural Gas crews worked this morning to secure the gas lines and retire service to the home, spokesman Michael Kinney said. Workers pulled out a gas meter just before 9a to help remove debris for authorities to investigate the fire, Kinney said.
It’s typical for NJNG to secure gas lines whenever there is a fire, he said, and he anticipates the company to stay on the scene until the initial investigation is complete.
“We’ll stay until the job is done,” Kinney said. “That prevents a bad situation from becoming worse.”
Mayor Tony Fiore, who went to the scene this morning, described it as a “pretty significant house fire.”
“A great amount of damage,” he said, “and a very sad situation.”
Check back here for updates as more information becomes available.
