An early morning fire at a two-story Carteret home, sent a mother and her two sons to the hospital with seriously injuries.
Firefighters responded to a home at the intersection of Hagaman and Poplar Streets sometime around 5 a.m. for a report of a house fire.
According to Fire Chief Mark Hruska, upon arrival crews found an 85-year-old woman and her two sons, ages 58 and 61, lying on the front lawn of the home.
The mother and one her sons were transported to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, by helicopter while the second son was transported via ambulance, officials announced.
Based on official accounts, the victims are being treated for injuries ranging from smoke inhalation burns to body burns.
The cause of the two-alarm fire remains under investigation but according to officials it does not appear suspicious.
Investigations so far revealed that, one of the victims noticed the fire on their back porch and he alerted family. Once outside, he and his brother realized their mother had not exited the home. Both men along with a passer-by and a neighbor, re-entered the home and managed to drag their unconscious mother to the front lawn.
The fire was brought under control in approximately an hour. The building will need to be knocked down, added Hruska.