A 90-year-old woman died early Monday morning after she was unable to escape from a house fire in Middleboro, Massachusetts.

It happened just before 3 a.m. at a multi-family home on Everett Street.

Middleboro Fire Chief Owen Thompson said that firefighters were able to respond quickly to the two-story home, where they found flames shooting from multiple windows on the first floor. Due to the heavy flames, additional firefighters were called to the scene from surrounding towns.

Once inside the home, firefighters found a 90-year-old woman who had not been able to escape. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was later identified as Anne Tichelaar.

Three other people who lived at the home safely got out before firefighters arrived. The flames were knocked down completely within about 30 minutes.

Investigators from the Middleboro Fire Department, Plymouth County District Attorney's office and State Fire Marshal's office announced a day later that the fire most likely started with smoking materials in the first-floor living room of the home.

There were no working smoke detectors in the home, investigators said.

"On behalf of the Middleborough Fire Department, I again want to express our heartfelt condolences to Ms. Tichelaar's loved ones," Thompson said. "I also want to remind all our residents that smoking is the leading cause of fatal fires in Massachusetts. It's especially dangerous to smoke in bed. Please, if you smoke or have guests who do, always use a heavy ashtray with water or sand and put it out, all the way, every time."