Howell Township house fire kills woman and dog

A Tuesday-afternoon fire in Howell Township incinerates a house and takes the lives of a woman and her dog inside.

Until next of kin are notified, police say only that the victim in the West Fifth Street one-story, one-family dwelling was 50 years of age. Early investigations have uncovered no suspicious circumstances, police said, though the cause and origin are still being traced.

At about 2:30 PM, a passer-by reported to dispatchers that the force of the heat and flames sent windows bulging and breaking outward.

Howell PD Patrolman Thomas Matthews and members of the Freewood Acres Fire Company arrived to find the back of the home wrapped in flames, authorities said. They were able to beat the fire back within about 20 minutes.

The Southard, Squankum and Adelphia fire companies of Howell also responded, along with Jackson Fire Station 55 and Howell First Aiders.