Overview
- Firefighters and New Jersey State Police responded to a house fire on Mohican Road in Blairstown just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16, and found the home engulfed when they arrived.
- Rescuers pulled Paul and Sheila Avery from the burning house unconscious, performed CPR, and the couple died shortly after being rescued.
- Their daughter Kyle Avery confirmed the deaths in a Facebook post and said the family is grateful to the Blairstown Fire Department and is making service plans.
- Authorities say the cause of the blaze remains under investigation by state and local agencies and no official determination has yet been released.
- Paul Avery, 81, was a longtime actor best known as Hughie on All My Children who later founded the Ridge View Echo and served in local civic roles, and friends say his and Sheila’s deaths leave a deep void in the Blairstown community.