Washington Township house fire ruled murder-suicide: prosecutors
2 killed after house fire in Sewell; criminal investigation underway
A criminal investigation is underway after officials say two people are died in a devastating house fire in Gloucester County.
WASHINGTON TWP, N.J. - Prosecutors have determined that a murder-suicide unfolded inside a Washington Township home that went up in flames over the weekend.
Investigators say a woman died from a fatal gunshot wound to the head and the man remained in the single-family house as it burned down.
It was also discovered that the home's gas line had been tampered with, which investigators say allowed a constant flow of natural gas into the home.
The backstory:
Firefighters were called to Tranquility Court and Orion Way in Washington Township around 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
A neighbor's doorbell camera video shows the home completely engulfed in flames with thick black smoke billowing from a window.
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Deadly Gloucester County house fire was 'not accidental,' prosecutors say
Investigators say a house fire in Washington Township that left two people dead and neighboring houses damaged was "not accidental."
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's office later reported that a man and a woman were found dead in the wreckage of the fire.
A criminal investigation into the origin of the fire was launched by investigators, who added that the fire was "not accidental."
What we know:
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday determined that a murder-suicide unfolded at the Washington Township home.
A woman's body was found on a bed in a bedroom with a fatal gunshot wound to the head that they say happened before the house fire.
The handgun, investigators say, was found near the man's body in the living room of the home.
It was also learned that the home's gas line had been tampered with, which investigators say allowed a constant flow of natural gas into the home.
What we don't know:
Authorities still have not publicly identified the man and the woman.