The woman had lived in the area for over 10 years, the local mayor said.
A New Jersey woman died along with several cats in a house fire she allegedly started after refusing her eviction notice.
The New Jersey State Police say the woman living in the home received an eviction notice but was refusing to leave, according to NJ.com.
The woman and animals that were in the home at the time did not survive the fire, according to CBS News.
The woman lived in the area for over 10 years and received an eviction request because the owner wanted to sell the home, local mayor Peggy Malkin said, according to Ashbury Park Press.
Neighbors evacuated the area over threats from the woman about blowing up the home, CBS News reported.
"They knocked on our door this morning. Thank God it was a pretty loud knock. I grabbed [my son]. They told us to leave. She was threatening with a bomb or to bomb the house and ended up with a fire," neighbor Erin Luca told CBS News.
Police got reports that the woman allegedly turned on the gas in the home prior to lighting the fire, CBS News reported.
Mayor Malkin told Ashbury Park Press the tenant was a pet sitter that had built an additional “cat house” to care for the many cats she had.
Animal remains were found among what was left behind from the blaze but it is unclear how many animals were lost to the fire, CBS News reported.
