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The blaze broke out around 8:45 p.m. at 10 Lehigh Blvd., which was fully engulfed in flames as firefighters responded, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Firefighters found the body of the 82 year-old victim in the downstairs portion of the home, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, Billhimer said.
A second victim who jumped from the second story of the home to escape suffered minor injuries and a pet dog had not been accounted for as of Friday morning, Billhimer said.
One Jackson Township police officer was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and another was transported to Monmouth Medical Center-Southern Campus in Lakewood, treated for minor injuries, and released.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit- Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Jackson Township Fire Bureau, and Jackson Township Police Department.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Arson Squad, Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office, Jackson Township Police Department, Jackson Township Fire Bureau, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Road Department, and Ocean County Regional Urban Search Team were assisting in the investigation.
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