The flames started just before 8:00 p.m. on the 2300 block of Pennington Road in Hopewell Township.
Police say 49-year-old Ramona Burnett, who rents an apartment inside the house, came home to discover her 13-year-old son outside the building. When she entered her apartment she smelled smoke and found fire in her son's bedroom on the first floor.
Police and firefighters arrived to find heavy fire in the rear of the house.
Approximately 20 dogs trapped inside the home were rescued by firefighters, including seven small puppies that needed oxygen at the scene. One dog died inside the house.
The house suffered severe fire, smoke and water damage and was deemed uninhabitable. Residents are staying with family members. The dogs are being cared for by neighbors and Hopewell Township Animal Control officials.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Another resident, who rents an apartment inside the house, was not home at the time of the fire.
Investigators haven't said why so many animals were in the house or to whom they belong.
