Fatal Thanksgiving House Fire Under Investigation In Somerset County

FRANKLIN, NJ — A fatal house fire on Thanksgiving is under investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

On Thursday, Nov. 23, at around 11:49 p.m., Franklin Township Firefighters along with Franklin Township Police were called to an active single-family house fire on Amwell Road.

The home was fully engulfed when police and fire arrived. After extinguishing the fire, firefighters found the remains of one person, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather.

The person was found to be the only resident of the home, according to a preliminary investigation by fire officials along with members of the Somerset County Fire Investigation Unit, Franklin Township Police Detectives, and Investigators with the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiners Office.

A positive identification of the decedent is pending by the Medical Examiner's Office.

The investigation remains ongoing to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

The following fire companies responded to fire: Middlebush Fire, Millstone Valley Fire, Somerset Fire and Rescue Company, Elizabeth Avenue Fire, Community Fire and Rescue, Woods Road Fire, and Hillsborough Fire. Somerset County Communications Center assisted with dispatch and logistics for this event.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Fire Investigation Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 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.

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