Officials said the house had about 20 young adults living in the single-family home.
LAKEWOOD -- The owner of a home that went up in flames early Monday morning was cited for operating an unauthorized dormitory after officials discovered two-dozen young adults were living in the single-family home.
No one was injured in the fire, which was first reported at 6 a.m., Lakewood police said. When police arrived at the East End Avenue home, the occupants had already exited the home.
The fire remains under investigation but officials believe it was caused by a space heater in a room.
Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said the two-story house had "numerous" young adults over the age of 18 living at the home. He put the number of people living there at around 24.
Lakewood officials cited the building's owner for "illegal change of use from single family dwelling to dormitory." Property records show the home was sold to David Donnor in December.
Donnor did not return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.
Officials would not comment on the occupants' affiliation, but news outlets have identified them as students of Yeshiva Na'os Yaakov, a religious school located on Somerset Avenue about a half-mile from the East End Avenue home.
Mastronardy said his office is looking into the possibility that these were students from a nearby school.
The Yeshiva on Somerset Avenue is currently serving as a temporary location for what the group hopes to be a permanent location on Logan Road in Ocean Township.
Yeshiva Gedola Na'os Yaakov is currently suing Ocean Township after the Zoning Board of Adjustment rejected its application to acquire a use variance for a Yeshiva that would house 96 full-time students who are between the ages of 18 and 22.
(Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com). The application was a source of much ire to residents in the area, who packed township hearings last year and expressed their opposition with lawn signs that read, "No Dorm on Logan Road."
The Yeshiva's executive vice president, Rabbi Shlomo Lesin, declined to comment on the Lakewood fire.
Lesin's attorney, Roman Storzer, also declined to comment on the incident.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.