Three people are dead following a house fire in Orange County, New York.

The flames broke out just before 1 a.m. Thursday at a home on Highland Avenue in Monroe.

Firefighters arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.

Neighbors alerted them to the possibility that some people were inside the burning structure, but the heavy fire prevented crews from entering, officials said.

When the flames were extinguished, firefighters found three people inside the home who were deceased.

The names of the victims are being withheld pending family notification.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.