Fatal House Fire Under Investigation In Somerset County

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Authorities are investigating a fatal house fire in Somerville early Sunday morning that claimed the life of one woman.

At around 6:42 a.m. on Sunday, a 911 call reported smoke coming from a home on West Cliff Street in Somerville, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and Somerville Chief of Police Dennis Manning.

Somerville Firefighters went insde the single-family home and found a small fire at the back of the first floor and in the basement of the home which was extinguished, said McDonald.

Firefighters then discovered an unresponsive woman inside of the home, said McDonald.

Firefighters took the woman out of the home and tried life-saving measures along with Emergency Medical Personnel.

The victim, a 68-year-old female resident, was pronounced dead at the scene, said McDonald.

The first-alarm fire is under investigation by 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.

A cause and origin of the fire have not been determined yet. The New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office will be performing a post-mortem examination to determine the cause and manner of death, said McDonald.

Fire companies from Somerville Fire, Raritan Fire, Finderne Fire, Bound Brook Fire, Manville Fire, Green Knoll Fire, and Somerset (56) Fire helped at the scene. First Aid Rescue Squads from Somerville, Green Knoll, Bradley Gardens, and Robert Wood Johnson also came to help. Somerset County Communications Center along with Somerset County Fire and EMS Coordinators helped with command and operations.

Anyone with information relating to the fire is asked 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.

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.

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