Man Killed In Marlboro Fire Identified; 2 Families Now Homeless

MARLBORO, NJ — The man who was tragically killed in the Marlboro Twp. fire that broke out early Thursday morning in Glenbrook Estates off Ryan Road has been identified as Aleksandr Prokopenko, 30. His sisters, who were also home at the time, were able to escape the fast-moving fire, but he was not. The sisters have been hospitalized due to injuries they sustained, according to a spokesman for the Monmouth County prosecutor's office, which investigated the blaze.

Two families have been left homeless by the fire, the Prokopenkos, and a Freehold High school teacher and her husband who lived next door.

At approximately 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, the Marlboro Township police department received multiple 911 calls reporting a structure fire at 37 Barn Swallow Blvd., in the complex at the intersection of Rt. 79 and Ryan Road. When police and volunteer firefighters got there, they found the town home fully engulfed in flames, according to Chris Swendeman, a spokesman for the Monmouth County prosecutor's office. Not only that, but the fire had spread to the home next door. Both homes were left uninhabitable.

"It was learned that Aleksandr Prokopenko and his two sisters were home during the fire," said Swendeman. "The sisters were able to make it safely out of the home. Aleksandr, 30, succumbed to the fire and was pronounced (dead) at 11:00 a.m. by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office."

All three Prokopenko siblings lived in the condo, along with their mother, and she was not home when the fire broke out, Swendeman said. He did not know the young women's ages.

The fire started on the deck at 37 Barn Swallow, and spread "within seconds" to the condo next door, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the neighboring family.

"It jumped to (their) house within seconds. Her kitchen is gone, as well as the master bedroom, and everything in the garage (including her car). The entire house has smoke and water damage," read the page, which is raising money for the couple who lived next door, a school special-education science teacher at Freehold High School and her husband.

The Marlboro and Manalapan community is also collecting gift cards for both displaced families; you can drop gift cards off at 45 North Main Street, Suite 11 in Marlboro.

The fire is not deemed to be suspicious, Swendeman said.

Original Patch reporting of this fire: Man Found Dead In Marlboro Twp. Fire Thursday Morning

Two GoFundMe pages have been set up for each family:

The Prokopenko family: https://www.gofundme.com/marlb...

The Napolitano-Mancuso (next door): https://www.gofundme.com/help-...

Photo of the two damaged condos from GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch.