Shore teen dies in fire that sparked during post-storm blackout

A 17-year-old Monmouth County resident died in a house fire on Monday night, authorities say.

First responders were dispatched to a McBride Avenue residence in Neptune shortly before midnight.

When emergency units arrived, personnel discovered that two occupants safely left the house, while a third was unaccounted for and believed to be inside the residence, according to a Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office press release.

Officials say police and firefighters made numerous attempts to search the house but were hampered by heavy fire conditions. The male teenager was found deceased in his bedroom after the fire was extinguished.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office says power was out at the house following severe storms that caused damage throughout the area earlier in the evening. “A resident heard a fire alarm and awoke to find the boy’s room consumed with fire,” the prosecutor’s press release states.

Authorities say an investigation into the fire’s origin and cause is ongoing.