Man Killed, 2 Police Officers Hurt In South Jersey Apartment Fire

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a fire at a southern New Jersey apartment complex has left one man dead and two police officers injured.

Firefighters responded to the Sandpiper Apartments in Hamilton Township around 2:30 a.m. Sunday and saw smoke coming from a second-floor unit. After forcing entry to the apartment, they found 44-year-old Robert Turchi unconscious in a rear bedroom.

Turchi was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. It was not immediately known if he lived in the apartment where the fire occurred.

The two officers, whose names were not disclosed, were treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation and later released.

Firefighters were able to quickly contain the blaze, which was contained to the one unit. But the cause remained under investigation.

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