A homeless man is accused of intentionally starting a fire that ripped through an apartment building in Camden, New Jersey, killing two people, injuring nine and displacing three dozen residents.
Brandon Adams, 34, was arrested and charged with murder.
Firefighters responded to the 3000 block of Cramer Street around 3 a.m. Sunday to find the building engulfed and people running around while others jumped from windows to escape, Camden Fire Department Chief Michael Harper said.
“It’s very significant. We haven’t had anything like this in years,” he said.
The blaze got so big that the CFD had to declare it a three-alarm incident, calling in crews from about six other departments, Harper said, adding that another large fire erupted at the same time elsewhere. Firefighters from the other departments doused the flames of the second fire and helped the CFD take care of the first, he said.
Two men were killed in the fire while nine others were injured.
In addition to the deaths and injuries to civilians, the fire on Cramer Street caused a firefighter to dislocate his shoulder, Harper said.
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Three dozen residents were displaced and are currently being assisted by the Red Cross.
Detectives later determined Adams intentionally set the fire. He was arrested and taken to the Camden County Correctional Facility for a pretrial detention hearing.
The Camden County Fire Marshal's Office and New Jersey State Fire Marshal's Office are assisting with the ongoing investigation.
If you have any additional information on the fire, please call Camden County Prosecutor's Office Detective Elvin Nunez at 856-614-8078 or Camden County Police Detective Edward Gonzalez at 856-757-7042.
You can also email tips to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.
