Old Bridge, NJ, fire claims the lives of couple

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (WABC) -- A couple in their 70s, married for decades, died after a fire in the home they had shared in New Jersey.

For neighbor Joan, the loss of her two neighbors in the fire was like losing family.

"I was there every day. Like I brought them corn muffins yesterday, and he was like, 'Oh more corn muffins.' I don't have that anymore," Joan said.

The couple she befriended when she moved to Lawrence Harbor eight years ago were themselves fixtures in the community by the bay for more than 40 years.

"Everybody knows everybody in Lawrence Harbor, its one square mile. Everybody knows everybody so this is just sad," said Ken Hixon, a Lawrence Harbor resident.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office say the fire broke out in the wood cottage at 445 Harding Drive, just after 11:30 last night and quickly spread.

As firefighters tried to knock down the flames, police were evacuating neighbors whose homes sit close to the burning house.

"It was intense, like coming out of my front door, you could feel the heat," a resident said.

"The smoke woke me up. It was so intense; I thought it was inside my own house," said Tracy Dupree, a Lawrence Harbor resident.

There's no word on where in the house the couples bodies were found, nor where the fire may have begun and what caused it.

The tragedy has left an emotional hole in the heart of this close friend.

"I tried to go to work for two hours, and come back and pretend it didn't happen. I'm still in disbelief," Joan said.

It was not immediately known if fire detectors had been installed in the home.