Updated 2:36 p.m.: Woman Dead in Early-Morning Newton Fire

Updated 2:36 p.m.: The cause of an early-morning fatal fire in Newton Centre is still under investigation Monday afternoon.

The identity of the elderly woman who was found dead in the burned-out house has still not been confirmed. Dep. Chief Gino Lucchetti said according to the woman's neighbors, she lived alone and was physically incapacitated. 

According to the assessors database on the Newton city website, the single-family home at 39 Cottonwood Road is owned by a Phyllis Bennett. The fiscal 2011 value of the home was $604,900. The database also lists the Newton Centre home as being built in 1955.

A call reporting a fire with people trapped inside came in about 3:20 a.m., according to scanner reports. Patch correspondent Stephen Walsh, who was on the scene, reported severe fire conditions, including an electrical transformer explosion on arcing wires on the side wall of the single-family house.

The victim was found during a secondary search of the house, at about 4:35 a.m. The victim's bedroom appears to have been the fire's point of origin, says Patch's Walsh, who was at the scene early this morning.

Mayor Setti Warren made the following statement about this morning's blaze on Cottonwood Road:

"I would like to thank the emergency responders, in particular the Newton police and fire departments, for their outstanding work in responding to this morning's tragic fire.  I would also like to thank the neighbor that took heroic action in trying to save his elderly neighbor. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victim's family during this very difficult time."