By MADDY VITALE
A house fire that left an Ocean City man dead earlier this month was ruled accidental, authorities said.
Emergency personnel responded to the fire at 1914 Asbury Avenue at 10:45 a.m. on March 12. They found the homeowner, Ronald Reichenbach, 63, dead outside of the home on the second-floor landing of an exterior stairway, authorities said.
On Friday, Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen provided an update from Police Capt. Stephen Schaffer.
“The cause of the fire was classified as accidental. The manner of death classification is pending toxicology,” Schaffer said in an email to Bergen. “There were no suspicious or intentional factors surrounding the fire or cause of death.”
Upon arrival at the house, firefighters observed black smoke coming from outside the second floor.
The blaze was extinguished quickly and there were no other people in the house at the time and no injury to any first responder, authorities said. The home sustained minimal exterior damage.
The fire and death remain under investigation by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean City Police Department.
