Somerville woman dies following weekend house fire

SOMERVILLE — Local and county officials are investigating what led to a weekend house fire that may have claimed the life of a 68-year-old woman.

At approximately 6:42 a.m. Sunday morning, Somerville officials responded to a 911 call about smoke coming from a residence on West Cliff Street. Responding firefighters discovered a small fire at the rear of the first floor of the single-family home, and a small fire in the basement.

After extinguishing the fires, firefighters discovered an unresponsive female. She was removed from the residence but was pronounced dead at the scene following attempts to save her life by medical personnel, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.

A cause and origin of the first-alarm fire has not yet been determined, the prosecutor's office said, noting that an investigation into the incident is ongoing. In addition, an examination will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of the woman's death.

Anyone with information related to this matter is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, or the Somerville Police Department at 908-725-0331.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

KEEP READING: Scroll to see what the big headlines were the year you were born

Here's a look at the headlines that captured the moment, spread the word, and helped shape public opinion over the last 100 years.

These NJ towns have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases

Looking at data compiled by the Department of Health in 2019, the most recent year for which reports are available, we determined the rate of STDs for 1,000 people in every municipality. The data combines reports of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. For a different look, you can check out this article for a list of New Jersey towns that saw the highest increase in STD/STI cases in recent years.