Couple Identified As Investigation Continues Into Fatal Brick Fire

The cause of a fire in a Brick Township home early Sunday morning remains under investigation, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, which released the names of the man who died at the scene and of his wife.

Robert Kanwisher, 74, died despite efforts of neighbors and first responders to provide CPR, Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said Monday. Kanwisher’s wife, Debra, 63, is recovering from injuries she suffered, he said.

The fire in the Brower Drive home, in the Sandy Point neighborhood, started sometime before 1 a.m. Sunday, with police and firefighters responding to a call at 12:42 a.m., Della Fave said Sunday. Upon arrival they found neighbors giving CPR to Kanwisher outside the home, which was engulfed in flames. Their efforts to revive him were not successful, Della Fave said. Debra Kanwisher also escaped the burning home and was taken to Ocean Medical Center, Brick, for treatment.

The couple’s pet dog, which has been missing since the fire, still has not been located, Della Fave said Monday.

Della Fave said Detective Mitchell Remig of the prosecutor’s office’s Major Crime/Arson unit returned to the scene of the fire at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, to conduct the investigation.

At that time, the Pioneer Hose Company was on scene suppressing small fires and hot spots that developed throughout the night inside the structure. Technical Rescue Teams from Berkeley and Brick Township were requested to stabilize the structure to ensure investigator safety during the investigation, Della Fave said.

After completing the scene examination and collecting all physical evidence, the structure had to be razed for safety reasons due to the extent of fire damage and instability of the exterior walls. The Ocean County Road Department sent a crew with heavy equipment to complete this task, preventing further damage or injury to the surrounding structures and residents, Della Fave said.

At this time investigators are not releasing any information regarding the cause and origin of the fire as they await the results of the autopsy on Kanwisher and conduct follow-up interviews, Della Fave said.