HAMPTON, Va. — Thursday, W. County St. in Hampton was still filled with emergency personnel after a double-fatal fire Wednesday night.
“Very sad to hear that they are gone," said neighbor Miriam Gourdine.
Watch: Two dead, four injured after house fire in Hampton
Gourdine was in her kitchen cooking Wednesday night when the house next door caught fire.
“I had my back window open. I could smell something. It smelled like paint possibly. I didn’t know what it was, so I closed my window. Maybe five minutes later, somebody was banging on our door so I ran to open the door," Gourdine recalled. "One of the people who lived there came. ‘Oh! The house is on fire! The house is on fire and somebody’s still. In there!’”
According to the fire department, the home was a boarding house for veterans. Two people got out Wednesday night and were treated for injuries. Two others were helped out of the house by firefighters and also treated for injuries.
Watch: More than 70 evacuated after fire at Hampton assisted living facility
Five people were taken to a hospital and two of them died there.
A firefighter was also injured when they fell through the roof, but their injuries are considered non-life threatening.
“Flames are unpredictable, so I was doing a lot of praying. I was concerned, so my daughter moved our vehicles out of the way," said Gourdine.
Watch: 'I couldn't believe it:' Resident reacts after Hampton apartment fire displaces 33 people
Firefighters from multiple cities were called in to help fight the fire.
“The way that most fire departments are structured, we all use very similar nomenclature, similar training. So it’s a pretty seamless transition when another unit comes in," Hampton Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Anthony Chittum explained.
As of Thursday, firefighters were still trying to figure out where and how the fire started but they did not suspect foul play.
