Fatal House Fire Under Investigation In Little Egg Harbor

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ — A fatal fire that destroyed a Little Egg Harbor home Monday afternoon is currently under investigation, officials said.

At about 1:45 p.m. on March 6, multiple fire companies responded to a structure fire on Harvest Way, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

While searching the home, responders found the body of a deceased man, Billhimer said.

The body was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for a post-mortem examination and identification, Billhimer said.

A GoFundMe launched by the homeowner's daughter, Bobbie Ackerman, says that the decedent was her uncle.

"[My mother] had lost everything," Ackerman wrote. "Thankfully she wasn't there and her dog was able to get out...but my uncle sadly didn't make it. He was trapped inside."

A neighboring home was also damaged, according to CBS. See photos and video here.

The origin and cause of the fire are currently under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Ocean County Fire Marshal's Office and Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office.

Billhimer said that more information will be released as it becomes available.