Blaze kills two in apartment
By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
BORDENTOWN CITY — An apartment fire killed two residents on Sunday.
Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi and Bordentown City Police Chief Matthew Simmons III announced on Monday that Katherine Jernegan, 66, and Joseph Coppola, 63, of 10 West Street, died after the fire broke out in their apartment.
”It’s just a tragic event in the city,” said Bordentown City Mayor James Lynch on Wednesday.
Dr. Ian Hood, Burlington County Medical Examiner, determined that the deaths were accidental and were caused by smoke and soot inhalation, according to a release from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities were called to the apartment just before 3 p.m. Nov. 25 by a relative who had come to visit the couple and found them dead, the release said.
The investigation revealed that the fire was contained to the couple’s unit and extinguished itself rather than spreading throughout the building, according to the release. There is no suspicion that foul play was involved.
”Unfortunately, the house was built so structurally sound that we didn’t even know there was a fire in the (unit) . . .The fire put itself out,” Mayor Lynch said, adding that the outside portion of the building was undamaged.
”On behalf of the city, of thoughts go out to the families, and our prayers,” Mayor Lynch said.
”It’s a very humbling experience to see something like this happen,” he said, adding that fires were atypical occurrences in the city.
Yet when they happen, “It really strikes home,” Mayor Lynch said.
The investigation was conducted by the Bordentown City Police Department, the Bordentown Township Fire Marshal from Fire District 1, the Burlington County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
The determination of the fire’s cause and origin remained pending as of press time.

