2 dead, 9 displaced in house fire, police said
By Frederick Sutton Sinclair, Ryan Hughes
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TRENTON, New Jersey (KYW) — A fire claimed the lives of two people and damaged two homes in Trenton, New Jersey, on Saturday, police said.
Takeeta DeLee says it has been an emotional two days for her family. Her great aunt recently died, and a day after her funeral they lost her brother, their great uncle.
“He loved his family, friends, he was a loving caring person,” DeLee said. “We grew up with our uncles as dads, they always cared for us.”
DeLee says her great uncle, who she identified as William Laster, lived in the home on the 100 block of South Cook Street in Trenton for more than 20 years.
Investigators say it was around 11:45 a.m. Saturday when a fire started, and by the time firefighters arrived the home was fully engulfed in flames.
“They encountered heavy fire, knocked the fire down, then they proceeded to go inside the building,” said Chief Anthony Ross, Trenton Fire Department.
Once inside, police say they found Laster and his long-time female partner dead on the first floor.
Trenton’s Mayor, Reed Gusciora, was on scene and says an aide in his office is Laster’s nephew.
“It’s really sad just to hear the stories of their upbringing here and what kind of neighborhood it was, and it’s a really close family,” Gusciora said.
Investigators say a young woman, who was also home at the time, was able to escape the flames by jumping from a third-floor window onto a second story roof, and then she jumped to the ground. She was taken to a hospital after sustaining minor injuries, and released a short time later.
DeLee and her cousin, Nibree Laster, say loved ones were already in town after burying Laster’s sister on Friday. Now, they’re trying to come to grips with this latest tragedy.
“We’re trying to put the pieces together, we don’t know what happened, but we want to know we want to know,” Nibree Laster said. “It’s unfortunate that we got to be here a day later after burying my aunt and this again, back at square one.”
Investigators say Laster’s dog also died in the fire.
According to Trenton Police, the American Red Cross is assisting nine people after smoke and flames spread to the twin home next door.
The fire was placed under control at approximately 12:42 p.m. The cause and origin of the fire remains under investigation.
Authorities ask if anyone has any information about the fire to please contact the Trenton Police Department at 609-989-415.
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