Mom, 2 sons seriously hurt in Carteret house fire

CARTERET, New Jersey (WABC) -- An elderly mother and her two sons were critically injured in a fire that burned down their Carteret home.

The family awoke to flames tearing through their Hagaman Street home just before 5 a.m. Thursday.

One of the woman's sons woke up, realized the house was on fire, and rousted the family.

The 85-year-old mother collapsed at the front door, unable to escape the smoke.

Her sons and a passerby who spotted the flames ran up to the door and dragged her from the burning home.

When firefighters arrived, all three were on the front lawn.

The mother and her 61-year-old son were taken by helicopter to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where they were being treated in the burn unit. Her 58-year-old son was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. All three are in critical condition.

Firefighters were faced with heavy fire in the rear of the home upon arrival.

It took two hours to get the fire under control. No firefighters were injured.

The cause is under investigation, but it is not suspicious.