Three bodies with stab wounds were found in the remains of an overnight fire in Flushing, in Queens, New York, on Tuesday, ABC 7 reports.

The fire was first reported at about 5 a.m., at 143-40 Roosevelt Ave., and was contained to a single apartment.

All three victims were found in the living room of the apartment, but were burned beyond recognition.

The New York Times reported it appears to be an attempt to cover up a murder, and the bodies found were of one woman and two men.

CBS reported that sources told them it appeared more than one of the victims had their throats slashed.

"They're in the living room. Apparently there are lacerations on their body," Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

"The bodies were in such a condition that they could not be identified," Boyce said.

Neighbors told CBS that a husband and wife and their teenage son lived in the apartment.

The fire department told The New York Times that upon arriving at the scene, 15 minutes after the 4:50 a.m. 911 call from a neighbor, the firefighters found the three lifeless bodies after breaking down the door to the sixth-floor apartment.

The Associated Press reported the identification of the victims was not revealed, and the medical examiner's office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, AP reported, and were taken to New York Queens Hospital.

The city has a fair number of fires it responds to but none of the media outlets identified the situation as a unique incident.

New York City responded to more than 1,800 building fires in July, and more than 25,000 last year.

Detectives have officially identified the scene as a homicide investigation, but have not revealed any details about a possible suspect, or indicated if there is a suspect on the loose.