Officials have released new information amid their ongoing investigation into the massive house fire that killed a woman in Needham, Massachusetts, early on Christmas Eve.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said in an update Friday that the cause of Wednesday’s blaze at 28 Woodworth Road remains undetermined at this time, but preliminary evidence suggests it started in the home’s garage and was accidental, not suspicious.

The deadly fire is being jointly investigated by the Needham Fire Department, Needham Police, Massachusetts State Police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office, and state police assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.

Dozens of firefighters battled a fire that left a young woman dead.

Investigators, citing an examination on scene, as well as witness interviews and other evidence, say they believe the flames began in the rear of an attached garage located at the right side of the three-story, single-family home. Several potential heat sources were identified in that area that could have contributed to the fire, all of which were accidental, according to officials.

One occupant, only identified so far as a woman in her 20s, was found dead inside the home. Two other adults escaped and were treated at the scene.

“Our thoughts have been with the family since the early morning hours of December 24 and they remain with the family today,” Needham Fire Chief Thomas Conroy said in a statement Friday. “I want to recognize the outpouring of compassion from Needham residents who are sending their love and support.”

The deadly fire right before Christmas has been a heart wrenching event for the entire community, including the first responders.

The raging fire drew a four-alarm response shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, with about 75 firefighters from across the region, including places like Boston, Brookline, Dedham, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Milton, Wellesley, and Westwood, battling the flames for more than seven hours.

The home sustained catastrophic damage, officials have said, and all residents have been displaced since Wednesday.

It’s unclear when authorities will release the victim’s name. No other information was provided Friday.

A company in Grafton will pay up to $250,000 for violating state environmental laws, in part by emitting “rancid” odors that affected residents more than four miles away, Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office announced Wednesday.

FeedBack Earth Inc., a for-profit food-waste recycling company, was accused of violating the Massachusetts Clean Air Act and the Massachusetts Solid Waste Disposal Act, according to Campbell’s office.

In 2021, a “rotten” smell that came from the company’s Grafton facility prompted residents to call the police, according to NBC Boston.

FeedBack Earth’s CEO Alison Greenlee, however, claimed the odor had come from tofu it was processing.

“What we found out over the last couple of weeks is that some of our food products smell a little bit more than others, and particularly the tofu was a little smellier than what we were expecting,” Greenlee told the news station in 2021.

The company was turning food waste into animal feed, resulting in the smell, according to NBC Boston.

However, Campbell’s office said Wednesday that the odors were caused in part by environmental permit violations and unsanitary conditions at the company’s facility. The odor was so strong it affected Grafton residents as far as 4.4 miles away from the facility, according to the attorney general.

In a lawsuit last year, the attorney general also accused the company of using unauthorized machinery and processing unapproved feedstocks — raw materials used to make other products.

An October 2024 preliminary injunction requested by the attorney general’s office halted many of FeedBack Earth Inc.’s operations at the facility.

The company has since ceased operations at the facility, according to Campbell’s office.

“Clean air is a fundamental right and today, the residents in Grafton can breathe a little easier,” Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bonnie Heiple said.

As part of the settlement, the company will pay up to $250,000 in penalties to the state. Of the settlement funds, $110,000 will be given to the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Fund, according to Campbell’s office. The fund supports projects that tackle economic, environmental or health-related harms in Massachusetts communities, according to the fund’s website.

“Communities should not have to suffer the consequences of businesses prioritizing profits over compliance with our reasonable environmental laws and regulations,” Campbell said in the press release. “This settlement holds FeedBack Earth accountable for harming our residents and puts other companies on notice that we will not tolerate business practices that threaten people’s right to breathe fresh air.”