One dead, one critical in Woodbury fire

A fast moving fire ripped through the Woodbury home of a beloved pediatrician and his wife early this morning in Gloucester County.

The blaze, which broke out shortly before 1 a.m. on the 100 block of Delaware Street, killed Nancy Johnson Epple, 54, who was found by firefighters in an upstairs bedroom.

Dr. Lawrence Epple, 55, was injured in a fall from a second story window as a police officer attempted to rescue him. Epple was rushed to Cooper University Hospital in Camden where he was being treated.

Two police officers were injured as they tried to rescue the couple.

The fire at the rambling Victorian home was reported at 12:45 a.m., said Bernie Weisenfeld, spokesman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's office.

Woodbury police tried to break down the front door but were blocked by debris. One of officers required stitches on his hand after trying to force the door open.

Another officer fell from a ladder as he attempted to reach Dr. Epple in a second floor window.

Neighbor Dan Ball woke up at 4:30 a.m. to walk his dog and saw the Epple's three-story green house engulfed in flames.

"They were a great and very giving couple," Ball said. Dr. Epple treats children at his Glassboro Road practice, Woodbury Pediatrics, in Woodbury Heights. Nancy Epple was active in the Woodbury YMCA and other community groups, Ball said.

"It's a real loss for Woodbury," Ball said.

The cause of the fire could not be immediately determined.

Workers had recently been renovating the house and preparing it to be repainted.