Crime & Safety
Missing Woman Found Dead After 3 Alarm House Fire In Somerset County
A resident, who was initially unaccounted for, was found dead, another resident was hospitalized, and a firefighter was injured in the fire.
SOUTH BOUND BROOK, NJ — A woman, initially missing after a three-alarm fire in South Bound Brook, has since been found dead in the home, said authorities.
On Friday at 3:46 a.m., South Bound Brook Fire Department and South Bound Brook Police responded to a 911 call reporting a house fire on Howard Avenue, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
In addition to the injured resident, one firefighter had minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital. They were later released.
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During the investigation, fire officials and members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Fire Investigation Unit found a woman in the home who was pronounced dead, sai McDonald.
A postmortem examination will be performed by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office to positively identify the victim and to determine the cause and manner of death.
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Neighboring houses on Howard Avenue also had minor exterior damage.
The fire drew a large mutual aid response.
Fire companies from Bound Brook, Community Fire, Somerset, Somerville, East Franklin, Elizabeth Avenue, Millstone Valley, Middlesex, Finderne, Manville, Martinsville, Middlebush and Arbor Hose responded to help South Bound Brook firefighters extinguish the blaze.
Emergency medical personnel from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Bradley Gardens Rescue Squad also responded to render aid, and officers from the Bound Brook Police Department assisted at the scene.
The fire investigation remains open, and the origin and cause of the fire are still under investigation.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors' Office at 908-231-7100 or the South Bound Brook Police Department at 732-356-0087. Tips can also be submitted through the STOPit app, which allows anonymous reports, including videos and photos, using the access code SOMERSETNJ.
Information may also be provided through the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at SCPO.TIPS. According to the announcement, anonymous STOPit reports and tips will be kept confidential.
Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.
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