HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP — An 85 year-old woman died in a house fire on Coleman Lane in Titusville on Friday night, township police reported.
On Tuesday, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office identified Patricia Gennett as the sole victim in the blaze.
Police officers William Gaskell, Vincent Amiable and James Klesney responded to the residence following a 10:13 p.m. report from an alarm monitoring service. Police said they found fire and heavy smoke throughout the house, which was located in the back of the property. They tried to enter the house by forcing open a first level door after using two fire suppression devices but the heavy smoke conditions kept them from going inside.
When firefighters arrived they entered the house and found Ms. Gennett on the first floor. She was removed by firefighters but was deceased, police said.
The house suffered fire damage, as well as heat, smoke and water damage throughout. It was left uninhabitable, police said.
The Union Fire Company, under the command of Deputy Chief Eric Burd, along with the Pennington Fire Company, the Hopewell Fire Department, and multiple fire companies from New Jersey and Pennsylvania extinguished the fire. Tankers from Bucks County, Somerset County, Middlesex County and Hunterdon County also assisted.
The fire remains under investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department, Hopewell Valley Emergency Services, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Mercer County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Coleman Lane and Route 29 were closed during this fire-fighting operation.
