Fire That Took The Life Of Eatontown Woman Ruled Accidental

The fire at the Garrison Apartment Complex in Eatontown that took the life of a 69-year-old woman and injured eight others recently has been ruled accidental, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

The fire began in an electrical baseboard heater in the bedroom of the victim’s apartment, according to a joint investigation by the Eatontown Police Department, Eatontown Fire Bureau, Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office – Major Crimes Bureau and Crime Scene Unit , he said.

By the time police and firefighters arrived at the complex at 3 Throckmorton Avenue shortly after midnight on April 10, heavy fire and smoke was seen billowing out of the window of Apartment 302, Gramiccioni said.

The victim was unresponsive when she was located by firefighters. She suffered serious burn injuries and was first taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and later transferred to the Burn Center at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where she died, Gramiccioni said.

Nine people were injured as a result of the fire, including the burn victim. Two Eatontown firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and later released from Monmouth Medical Center. A 78-year-old resident of the apartment complex was taken to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank for treatment of chest pains. She is listed in stable condition, he said.

Fire departments from Eatontown, West Long Branch, Oceanport, Shrewsbury, Neptune Township and Tinton Falls responded.