SOMERVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – A fatal house fire on Sunday is under investigation in Somerset County, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
On September 25, at around 6:42 a.m., emergency crews responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a smoke condition stemming from a residence on West Cliff Street, Somerville, McDonald said.
Responding Somerville firefighters upon arriving at the scene made entry into the single family residence and discovered a small fire at the rear of the first floor and in the basement of the residence which was extinguished by firefighters, McDonald said.
Firefighters subsequently discovered an unresponsive female inside of the residence, McDonald siad.
Firefighters were able to remove the female from the residence and attempted life savings measure along with responding emergency medical personnel.
The 68-year-old female resident was pronounced dead at the scene. The New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office will be performing a post mortem examination to determine the cause and manner of death, McDonald said.
Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit along with Somerville Police, the Somerset County Fire Investigation Unit, Somerville Fire Marshal and Fire Officials from Somerville conducted the fire investigation. A cause and origin has not been determined by investigators as the investigation is on-going, McDonald said.
Fire companies from Somerville Fire, Raritan Fire, Finderne Fire, Bound Brook Fire, Manville Fire, Green Knoll Fire, and Somerset (56) Fire were activated and responded to the scene. First Aid Rescue Squads from Somerville, Green Knoll, Bradley Gardens, and Robert Wood Johnson responded to the scene.
Anyone with information relating to the fire to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Somerville Police Department at 908-725-0331 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
