A New Jersey woman’s fight against an eviction notice turned deadly after she intentionally started a fire in the house she shared with numerous cats, on Wednesday, March 1.
According to the New Jersey State Police, the woman and the cats died in the blaze, which began at around 11:10 am after a standoff with police who were there to evict her.
State police had gone to the house to serve the woman with an eviction notice after the owner of the home unsuccessfully tried to evict her several times. He reportedly wanted to sell the property.
The woman refused to leave the home on Wednesday and told the officers she would blow up the house.
Lieutenant Lawrence Peele said that the woman reportedly turned on the gas before igniting the fire.
Troopers noticed smoke coming from the house and tried to get the woman out, but she refused to leave. A short time later, the house was engulfed in flames.
Firefighters from multiple departments responded to the home in Cedar Court and tried to get it under control. It took them several hours to put out the flames, and they eventually did so at around 1:35 pm, but by that time, the house had burned down, and the flames had spread to a neighboring house.
According to the state marshal, several firefighters were also injured in the fire.
The fire also damaged part of an adjacent house belonging to Emma Quackenbush, who had lived there for over two decades. Quackenbush told reporters that she had lost everything in the blaze and that even though part of it was still standing, it was unlivable.
Police also evacuated neighbors during the standoff after the unidentified woman threatened to blow up the house.
Officers found the woman’s body, along with the bodies of several cats, after putting out the fire. Authorities are unsure how many animals were living with her. The deceased woman was a pet sitter and had recently built a pet house for the cats.
