The owners of Billy and Madeline’s Red Room Tavern in the Whippany section of Hanover were taken to a hospital Monday after they were rescued from their business when the building went up in flames, officials said.

A fire gutted the 84-year-old business Monday afternoon.

Good Samaritans are being credited with saving Billy Fornaro and Madeline Fornaro, as well as their dog. The couple's home was located above the tavern and was also destroyed in the fire. The Fornaros have owned the business since 1980, but the tavern itself dates back to 1933.

"It's an old building. It's a tough building. We made an attack inside for about a half an hour. (We) finally got to the point where we said we have to pull out, keep our guys safe, and worked it from the outside,” Whippany Fire Department Chief Joseph Cortright said.

The business owners were taken to the hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is now investigating the cause of the fire.