Authorities say a man and woman were killed in a four-alarm fire that ripped through a multifamily home early Saturday morning in Bayonne.

The Bayonne Fire Department responded to a fire at a three-story home on East 21st Street. Neighbors told News 12 they heard an explosion when the fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m.

Fire Chief Greg Rogers says 10 people were on the second floor when the flames broke out. Of them, five were able to escape and five others were found unconscious. Only three of the unconscious people were able to be rescued.

Officials say the two victims, both in their mid-60s, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Three other people, including a 6-year-old boy, were injured and taken to area hospitals. There is no word on their conditions.

The multifamily house sustained serious damage to its upper floors and its roof collapsed. Other homes on the block suffered water and smoke damage.

Officials say about 19 people have been displaced, and at least 15 of them are being assisted by the Red Cross.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Chief Rogers says the blaze marks the first fire-related fatalities in seven years in the city.