At 11 a.m., the West Orange Fire Department responded to a fire on Liberty Street, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens, West Orange Police Chief James Abbott and West Orange Fire Chief Anthony Vecchio said.
Firefighters encountered a fire in the kitchen area and heavy smoke throughout the home, authorities said. Firefighters located three unresponsive victims and removed them from the residence, though they were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
The victims were identified as Grace Drury, 75, and two young children, ages 8 and 3, authorities said.
The cause and origin of the fire is being investigated by detectives from the Prosecutor’s Crime Scene Investigations Bureau and the West Orange Police Department, authorities said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Belleville and receive free news updates.