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A "smoking material" had been thrown into the trash on a patio and set the dwelling on fire, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
The fire destroyed part of a multi-family home on Sunday, March 19.
The names of the victims have not been released. One remained in critical condition on Tuesday, March 21.
The decedent’s body was taken to Community Medical Center for a post-mortem examination and identification.
The fire broke out at 6:51 p.m. at a quadplex on Heron Street in the Cedar Glen West section of town, Manchester police said.
A thorough and extensive investigation by multiple agencies "determined that the fire originated in a garbage can at the northwest corner of a patio, and the cause of the fire was deemed to be accidental due to discarded smoking material," Billhimer said.
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