Firefighters arrived at the house on Sheridan Street in Jamesburg at approximately 3:45 a.m. to find heavy flames that caused extensive damage to the structure.
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The victims, whose identities have not been released, were discovered a short time later.
Lawanda Kitchen is the sister of one of the victims and identified them as her 53-year-old brother, Clifford Kitchen, and a family friend. She said her nephew, who was previously unaccounted for, had stayed with a friend Tuesday night.
She said her brother had a huge heart and would often allow struggling individuals to stay at his house until they got back on their feet.
"He would never turn anyone away," she said. "If he had a friend in need, he would open his doors to anybody."
The exact causes of the death will be determined by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner's Office.
No firefighters or police officers were injured.
The Jamesburg Fire Department, the Jamesburg Police Department, the Middlesex County Office of the Fire Marshal, and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office all responded to the scene.
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The investigation into the cause of the fire is active and is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sergeant Jason Muller of the Jamesburg Police Department at (732) 521-0011, or Detective Deon McCall of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at (732) 745-3848.
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