Two women died in a house fire that tore through a New Jersey home, and now investigators are looking into how the flames may have started.
The now-gutted house at the top of a hill along Hamburg Turnpike in Bloomingdale went up in smoke after a huge fire around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to officials. The neighbors who live next door called 911 as the flames erupted.
"Flames were coming out of the back of the house, shooting up in the air. And then within another 10 minutes, flames were coming out the front of the house," said Elaine Bush, who lives in the home next door with her husband.
First responders closed down the turnpike as they hosed down the home, in an effort to contain the fire. Fire trucks from surrounding areas like Butler and Wayne also provided assistance in battling the inferno. One neighbor said that within 20 minutes, the fire was "50 feet wide and as tall as the trees."
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The fire was brought under control within a couple hours. While the house is still standing, it was almost entirely destroyed, with two women later confirmed to have died in the blaze. Their identities have not yet been released.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
