Man has fatal heart attack, house catches fire

A Thursday night house fire in Cherry Hill started after the elderly man who lived there suffered a fatal heart attack while smoking a cigarette, authorities believe.

Robert Kolar, 84, lived alone on Laurel Hill Drive in the Charleston Woods section of the township, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Neighbors called 911 at about 11:30 p.m. to report smoke. By the time firefighters arrived, the ranch house was engulfed in flames, said Chief Robert Giorgio of the Cherry Hill Fire Department. The fire was under control in 23 minutes.

Firefighters discovered Kolar on the bed of a second-floor bedroom. The county fire marshal's office and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office are investigating. - Sam Wood