2 killed in Burlington Twp., New Jersey apartment fire

BURLINGTON TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- Two people were killed in a fire at an apartment building in Burlington Township, New Jersey early Thursday morning.

The flames broke at the Northgate Village Apartments on the 300 block of Northgate Village Road at about 3 a.m.

"I was panicked. I smelled some smoke. I heard from the neighbor upstairs, she's the one that called 911," said Leah Payne of Burlington Township.

Payne lives a few doors down from the fire. She was woken up by police and told to get out.

"The cops banging on the door and I jumped up in the bed. We got dressed and grabbed my things. We went out and we see the person (lying) on the ground," she recalled.

When crews arrived, heavy smoke was coming from the apartment and officers were not able to go inside. Once firefighters got there, two people were found inside.

Police identified the victims as 28-year-old Eric Stevenson and 62-year-old Sandra Stevenson.

"I always seen them outside. They weren't bothering nobody. I just saw them last week coming outside," said Lisa Dooley of Burlington Township.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.