3 Dead After Fire At Hillsborough Township Apartment Complex

HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Three people were killed in a fire at an apartment complex in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

The blaze broke out at the Hillsborough Gardens Apartments on Farm Road just after 10 p.m. Monday.

It started in a bedroom area on the top floor of the two-story building and spread to four apartments, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.

It appears those who were killed were trapped on the second floor, Schuck reported. The names of the victims have not been released.

Witnesses said flames were shooting from the rooftop.

"It was like fireworks, the roof, everything was coming up and I was with a few people and the flame was coming at us and the officers told us to pull back," witness Tony Arce said. "The flame was crazy."

Eileen Ravioli lives in a building across the street and said she spoke to one of the first floor residents, who managed to escape.

"She told me that they heard a loud thud and then they smelled smoke. The husband called 911... they grabbed their dog, their cat and they got out of there," Ravioli said. "It was crazy. It was pretty scary."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.