NOVI, Mich. » Five adults who were co-workers at a local restaurant were killed today after a fire started in the basement of a suburban Detroit home, authorities said.

The victims were found today after crews extinguished the fire at a house in Novi, The Detroit News reported. Emergency personnel tried to revive two of the victims but weren’t successful.

Officials said the victims appeared to be in their late 20s and early 30s and were co-workers at an area restaurant.

The fire was reported around 9:30 a.m. and a preliminary investigation showed it started in the basement, Novi Public Safety Director David Molloy said.

Kurt Kilar and other neighbors looked on as firefighters worked to put out the blaze.

“We watched. We couldn’t do much of anything,” Kilar told the newspaper. “This is a first for us in the 18 years we’ve been here. Nothing tragic like this has ever happened in the neighborhood.”

Kilar, 51, said he didn’t know how many people lived in the house but recognized one of the victims carried out.

Autopsies were expected to be performed on the victims. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.