Actor and journalist Paul Avery, best known for his role on the long-running soap opera All My Children, and his wife Sheila Avery have died following a devastating house fire in Blairstown, New Jersey. Paul Avery was 81.
According to multiple reports, the fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday, June 16, at the couple’s home on Mohican Road. Emergency services, including New Jersey State Police and local fire crews, were dispatched shortly before 1 a.m. after reports of a residential fire with possible entrapment. Upon arrival, firefighters found the home fully engulfed in flames.
Crews entered the residence and located two individuals in critical condition. Paul and Sheila Avery were found unconscious inside the home and were immediately given CPR by emergency responders. Despite life-saving efforts at the scene, both were pronounced dead shortly after being removed from the structure. The fire was brought under control at approximately 1:03 a.m., officials said.
Authorities have confirmed that the cause of the fire remains under active investigation, with no official determination yet released regarding what sparked the blaze.