Three people died in a house fire in Hudson Valley: authorities

Authorities said three people died in a home fire early in the Hudson River Valley in New York on Thursday.

A house on Highland Avenue in the village of Monroe was engulfed in flames shortly before 1 a.m., the Monroe Police Department said in a statement.

Neighbors told arriving officers that residents were likely still inside the burning house, but police officers were unable to enter “because of the massive fire,” police said.

Firefighters immediately began putting out the fire and then began rescue efforts, which resulted in the discovery of three people who died in the blaze, authorities said. Their names are not immediately released.

Local police detectives are working with Orange County investigators, the local medical examiner’s office and the Monroe Unified Fire District to determine the cause of the fire.

Additional information is not immediately available.