An eviction fight ended with a massive and deadly fire in New Jersey after a woman refused to leave her home that sources said she shared with dozens of cats, authorities say.
Police said that troopers went to the home in the Monmouth County town of Roosevelt, after the woman had been served an eviction notice but refused to leave and threatened to blow up the house on Cedar Court. Just after 11 a.m., police saw smoke coming from the home, moments before it became engulfed in flames.
Sources said the woman turned on the gas in the house, then lit a match. Multiple fire departments rushed to the scene to put out the flames, but the woman did not survive, according to police. No other people were injured.
Officials said that the flames were consistent with a natural gas fire. Emma Quackenbush, who lives in a house attached to the one set on fire, said her home is now "unlivable."
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The mayor of Roosevelt said that the owner wanted to evict the woman, who had lived there for several years, in order to sell the house.
The woman was a pet lover and took care of others’ animals. Neighbors said she may have had as many as 30 cats inside the home.
Animal control was at the scene, searching for any cats that may have escaped. They had not found any as of Wednesday afternoon, but said they would continue to search
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