Friends and family are mourning a Salem County woman who died in a house fire overnight.
The fire started at the home of 45-year-old Tasha Roots on North 7th Street in Salem City around 2 a.m. Friends and neighbors tried to get Roots out of the home by breaking windows but the flames were too intense.
"When I came out here I could barely see anything but there was a lot of smoke in the air," said Ah'zhane Bell, Roots' friend. "Flames were coming from under the door. People were trying to get in there to save them but, you know, the flames were too much."
Firefighters were able to control the blaze. They later found Roots’ body inside the house.
Family members told NJ.com Roots lived in the home with her two sons who were not there at the time of the fire. Relatives also said Roots was a railroad laborer and described her as a “happy, special person.” Friends told NBC10 they had seen her only a few hours before the deadly fire.
Officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire. They continue to investigate.
