New Jersey Motel Fire: DNA Tests Needed To ID Victims
The New Jersey motel fire that took place Friday afternoon killed four individuals and injured at least eight others. Authorities are now saying that DNA testing, along with other methods, are needed to identify the victims who lost their lives in the blaze.
An earlier report by The Inquisitr stated that the New Jersey motel fire broke out around 5:30 am local time and the Point Pleasure Volunteer Fire Department was notified by 5:42 am. The report explained that even though the fire department had been notified quickly, the blaze had already engulfed the motel by the time they had arrived.
According to ABC News, the New Jersey motel fire took place in a motel in Point Pleasant Beach, which is a popular Jersey shore summer resort. The motel where the fire actually took place was housing not only visitors, but also some victims who had been displaced by Superstorm Sandy.
The Inquisitr stated that it took firefighters until 7:00 am to get the blaze under control, but by that time the hotel was beyond repair, “the entire structure of the motel was gutted”.
With its 25 rooms, across two floors, police estimate that around 40 individuals could have been inside the rooms when the fire broke out. The manager’s office was also destroyed by the fire, so no records were found that could give investigators a solid number of people who may have been staying at the New Jersey motel at the time of the fire.
CNN reported that at least eight other people were injured during the New Jersey motel fire, and at least three of those individuals were listed in critical condition on Friday. Those injured reportedly suffered from not only burns, but also smoke inhalation. According to CNN, prosecutor Joseph Coronato said that one sheriff’s officer reportedly had some broken bones.
According to reports such as the Huffington Post, survivors of the New Jersey motel fire described the scene as “chaotic” with flames, smoke and screaming people. One individual even decided to jump from a second-floor window.
“I had to, there was no other way out,” said Peter Kuch “My window was only open an inch and flames were already starting to come through it. There just was no other choice.”
According to NBC New York, the Ocean County medical examiner’s office is hoping to identify the four victims who were killed during Friday’s motel fire within the next few days. Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, stated that fire investigators are still working hard to determine how and where the fire started.
[Image via Kurt Siegelin/News12NJ Twitter Feed]
