LACEY — Family members desperately tried to rescue 82-year-old Rose Boos from their burning home Thursday but were thwarted by the heavy smoke that filled the house at 341 Yorktown Drive.

Kathy Boos, 44, said she had been out and arrived home to find the house filled with thick smoke. She and her daughter, Catherine, tried getting in to help her mother-in-law, Rose Boos, but couldn't.

The fire was deemed accidental by authorities.

The three lived in the mother-daughter home in the Forked River section with Kathy Boos' husband.

The discovery of Rose Boos' body by firefighters devastated the family, Kathy Boos said. Rose Boos was the mother of nine children, seven of whom live in the area.

Authorities have not officially identified the victim, and the cause of death had not been determined Thursday.

Forked River Fire Chief Kevin Flynn arrived first, following a 911 call made about 1 p.m., and was followed by members of the Forked River and Lanoka Harbor fire companies. About 35 firefighters were there within minutes. The 911 call had been made by a family member reporting the fire with entrapment, said Lanoka Harbor Fire Chief Kevin Perrone.

The firefighters had been at the nearby Riggs Funeral Home on Route 9 attending a funeral service and a wake. Some who responded to the fire were still in full dress uniforms at the scene.

The fire was contained to a room in the rear of the home, said Detective Lt. James Veltri. Detective Sgt. Christopher Cornelius said in a prepared statement that the fire was accidental and originated near a refrigerator. A pet cat was also found dead.

Kathy Boos said that there were smoke detectors upstairs, but police and firefighters said they hadn't found any, officials said.

Patrolman Paul Sullivan Jr., who responded, cordoned off a section of Yorktown Drive between Pinta Way and Independence Drive and directed traffic around the scene.

Cornelius and other members of the Police Department investigated, assisted by Ocean County Fire Marshal Investigator William Gee, the county Sheriff's Criminal Investigation Unit and Prosecutor's Office Detective Robert Abrams.

Earlier, the firefighters had been at the funeral of Martin G. "Pete" Bender Jr., 79, and a wake for another fireman, Donald J. Wallis, 68. Both were Forked River firemen.

Margaret F. Bonafide (732) 682-4038 or bonafide@app.com