A resident of The Ridings of Fox Run was badly burned in a house fire on Red Oak Drive on Tuesday. Authorities are working to determine the cause of the incident.
By Matt Skoufalos | February 2, 2017
Investigators from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO) arson unit are working to determine the cause of a house fire in a Cherry Hill neighborhood that left one man hospitalized with severe burns this week.
Cherry Hill Fire Chief Thomas Kolbe said first responders arrived at a single-family home on Red Oak Drive around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to smoke billowing from the second floor.
Firefighters had to force their way into the house to search it, and discovered that an upstairs bedroom was occupied. The man inside was transported to a Philadelphia hospital for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation. Despite having been badly burned, he is still alive.
Kolbe said the home was moderately damaged, but is still inhabitable. The fire was under control within 18 minutes.
Although the timeline for the investigation will be dictated by the CCPO, the fire chief said that arson cases in the township are “far and few between.
“Most of the stuff is accidental,” Kolbe said.
Neighbors on the block described The Ridings of Fox Run as a quiet, friendly place, and said the sudden swarm of emergency personnel broke its typical calm.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” said Linda Yi, who said her driveway was filled with fire and police vehicles during the incident. “It was shocking.”
Connie Slater, who lives in the home her husband’s family has owned since the 1970’s, said the same thing.
“It’s a great neighborhood,” she said.
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