Lithium ion batteries suspected of sparking deadly fire at the Jersey Shore

Lithium ion batteries suspected of sparking deadly fire at the Jersey Shore

Two people were hurt but managed to escape a fire that tore through a house in Stafford Township early Friday morning, February 13, 2026. Betty Matero, 92, could not get out. Authorities say she died of smoke inhalation. “I got my mother-in-law in the bedroom upstairs,” a 911 caller said. “I can’t reach her, I can’t even see…the black, black smoke.” “It was just like a kick in the stomach,” neighbor E.J. Hradek said. “Because you just feel so he…