55°
The fire started at the 16-unit apartment building on West Branch Avenue on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Camden County firefighters union said in a Facebook post.
"First-arriving firefighters found heavy fire showing from the building, people jumping from balconies, and received a report of at least one person trapped," International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 3249 posted.
The American Red Cross said on social media that it was helping 26 people from 13 families with immediate needs like food, clothing, and housing.
Five police officers and a firefighter were hospitalized in the three-alarm fire, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. The six were treated for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters responded to the Mansion Apartments complex at around 6:40 p.m., county officials told NBC10. The fire was believed to have started on a second-floor balcony.
A GoFundMe page said the Lugo family was among the nearly 30 victims. The Lugos lost the home they've had for 18 years.
The GoFundMe had raised more than $800 from at least 22 donations as of Wednesday, Nov. 13.
"Sadly they lost EVERYTHING but most importantly they still have [each other] and hopefully a bunch of us to hold a little weight up for them as they have been through so much in under a year," fundraiser organizer Kristen Stippick wrote. "Not even one year since they were hit head-on Thanksgiving morning, now no home, NOTHING!"
The apartment fire happened during a historically dry fall across the Garden State, with parts of South Jersey experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions. Recent wildfires in West Milford and Gloucester County were among the largest burning as many parts of New Jersey had gone more than a month without significant rainfall.
Investigators were looking into what started the Pine Hill apartment fire.
Stay with Daily Voice for updates on this developing story.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Upper Township and receive free news updates.
