Investigators say the man succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the fire. He was the only person in the home at the time.
By Matt Skoufalos | December 31, 2023
The scene of a fatal house fire in Audubon. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
UPDATE (January 2, 2024, 1:10 p.m.): The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO) has identified the victim in a fatal house fire Sunday as 84-year-old Richard Wince of Audubon.
Wince was pronounced at the scene at 2:31 p.m. on December 31, 2023, having succumbed to injuries from the fire.
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An Audubon resident has apparently perished in a single-family house fire on New Year’s Eve.
Fire companies from seven area communities responded to the 200 block of West Crystal Lake Avenue around 2:30 p.m. Sunday for a report of a house fire.
Audubon Fire Chief Patrick Slemmer said he arrived within two minutes of being dispatched, and confirmed the presence of a fire on scene.
“We laid in a water supply, and began primary search within seconds,” the chief said.
A little more than an hour-and-a-half later, CCPO investigators were seen removing a body from the property.
The incident is under investigation, Camden County Chief Fire Marshal Joseph Hales said.
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Neighbors gathered near the intersection of Crystal Lake Avenue and Hopkins Road in the afternoon as firefighters from Audubon, Audubon Park, Bellmawr, Haddon Heights-Barrington, Mt. Ephraim, Oaklyn, and Westmont went to work, and Haddon Township Police created a perimeter around the property.
Only one person was believed to have been in the home at the time of the fire, Slemmer said.
Mt. Ephraim Police Reserves Inc. (MEPRI) emergency medical services crews were on hand, but did not transport anyone from the scene.
This is a developing story; stick with NJ Pen for updates.
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