4th body from Buena, NJ house explosion is recovered

🔴 The fourth body in a Buena house explosion has been recovered

🔴 The bodies of two children and two men were removed from the rubble

🔴 The cause of the explosion is still under investigation

BUENA — The body of the fourth and final victim of a house explosion in the South Jersey borough has been recovered.

The bodies of the victims recovered are those of a 2 ½-year-old boy, a 3 ½-year-old girl, and two men, ages 52 and 73.

A 16-year-old girl and a 1-year-old are alive and remain hospitalized.

On Thursday, Aug. 3, police were dispatched to Northwest Boulevard just after 10:30 a.m. for a report of a house fire with entrapment.

When the first officers arrived on the scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames, the police department said.

Franklin Township police officers and New Jersey State Police were able to rescue a 16-year-old girl and a 1-year-old girl after two civilians pulled them from the burning home. Both victims were flown to St. Christopher’s Medical Center in Philadelphia with severe burns. As of Friday, the baby remains in critical condition, while the teen is stable.

Four people were unaccounted for at the time of the double rescue. The missing victims included two young children and two adult males.

An initial investigation found that the house fire was the result of an explosion inside the residence. Once the scene was deemed safe, crews immediately began recovery efforts in an attempt to locate the missing victims.

Three of the four missing victims were found deceased by rescue crews and the assistance of a New Jersey State Police K-9 on Thursday evening.

The fourth victim was found Friday afternoon.

All the bodies were taken to the Atlantic County Medical Examiner’s Office.

An investigation is ongoing into what caused an explosion within the house.

Buena Borough Mayor David Zappariello released a statement offering the full support and deepest sympathy of the Buena Borough Council, and has spoken to the family to ensure them that the investigators assigned to the case, are working diligently to provide them with some sort of closure.

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