8-year-old girl dies in Somerville, NJ house fire

SOMERVILLE — An 8-year old girl trapped in her bedroom was killed in a house fire early Friday morning, according to police.

The two-story house on Eastern Avenue was fully engulfed in flames as the first firefighters arrived at the home on Eastern Avenue in Somerville around 2:10 a.m. according to Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

Three others from the residence — a 41-year-old woman, 31-year-old man and a 9-year-old girl — managed to escape.

Robertson said heavy fire and smoke and extreme heat delayed firefighters from reaching the 8-year-old girl in her bedroom on the second floor.

Somerville firefighters pushed through the fire and were able to get the girl out but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rebecca Brizuela and daughter Cecilla (Rebecca Nash via Facebook)

The adults were treated for burns and cuts while the 9-year-old girl was taken to the Burn Center of St. Barnabas in Livingston where she was in critical but stable condition as of Friday afternoon.

A GoFundMe page created to assist with funeral costs said the other members of the family were also taken to the burn unit.

An investigation into the cause and origin of the fire is ongoing, according to Robertson.

Video of the fire shows damage to the sides of the house and a roof over a porch completely burned out.

Family jumped to safety

The GoFundMe page identified the adults as Rebecca Nash, a man named Anthony and the children as Julianna, 9, and Cecilia, 8. Anthony, Rebecca and Julianna jumped out a second-story window, according to the GoFundMe page.

Over $32,000 had been donated to the page in four hours Friday afternoon.

"The fire destroyed their home, car, clothes, and most of their possessions, leaving them with next to nothing. Anything you can give to help Rebecca and her family rebuild during this horrific time would be so appreciated and massively helpful as they start to recover," the fundraising page says.

Robertson asked anyone with information about the fire to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100

Editor's note: A previous version of this incorrectly identified the man as Anthony Nash.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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