A grandmother and her infant granddaughter were killed in a house fire in New Jersey early Friday morning as three others were taken to the hospital, authorities reported.
An official statement from the Office of the Mercer County Prosecutor stated that around 3:40 a.m. on Friday, a fire broke out in a house on Woodlawn Avenue in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.
The fire caused a partial roof collapse, and the statement declared that the circumstances around the deaths are unknown at this time.
The grandmother was in her 40s, and her granddaughter was only nine months old.
Hamilton Fire Under Investigation pic.twitter.com/7jJQDA3YMU
— Mercer Co Prosecutor (@MercerCoPros) July 9, 2021
Mercer County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said that a family member reported the grandmother was trying to save the children from the fire when she died, according to NBC10.
Firefighters told the outlet that multiple people were trapped in the house, with rain making the rescue effort more difficult.
The grandmother and baby were found in the house, and three others were taken to the hospital with injuries. Their condition is currently unknown.
HAMILTON TWP: A fire broke out on the 200 block of Woodlawn Ave. A relative says two people were killed, a grandmother and a 10 month old. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s office is leading the investigation @6abc https://t.co/Wx4zQpyJZZ pic.twitter.com/sl7JIe6iYE
— Jaclyn Lee (@JaclynLeeTV) July 9, 2021
Officials stated a neighboring house was also damaged in the flames.
The Mercer County Homicide Task Force and Hamilton Police Division are investigating the cause of the fire alongside the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office and asked that anyone with information call detective Anthony Sturchio at 609-989-6406 or email mchtftips@mercercounty.org.
Just an hour north of Hamilton Township, another house fire broke out the day before in Teaneck, New Jersey. Similarly, a house caught fire early on Thursday morning, just before 3:30 a.m., reported WABC.
Delton Brown, 32, and his 29-year-old wife Ammoya Brown were found dead inside the house after it burst into flames. A neighbor and friend woke to the sound of "popping," and called authorities.
"I saw fire coming from the house behind my house, flames was coming, was popping up. I called 911," he told WABC.
The couple lived with Delton's mother, who was out of town at the time. The report stated that two other people managed to exit the house, but their identities are currently undisclosed.
Three Teaneck firefighters were injured in the rescue operations as well. One suffered burns to his leg, while two others were treated for heat exhaustion. All three are expected to make full recoveries.
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that the cause of the blaze Thursday morning is also currently under investigation.
Newsweek reached out to both the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office and the Bergen County Prosecutor's office for additional comments but did not hear back before publication time.
