In the moments before firefighters arrived at the burning two-story assisted living center in Northwest Baltimore, a couple who happened to drive by would help come to the victims' rescue.
"I ran straight down the street... ran up in the house. The first lady that was out there when the ambulance arrived, I carried her out actually myself," said Stephen Mitchell.
"I realized her clothes had burned off of her so I took my coat off and put on her," added his fiancée, Shauntee Monroe.
"She didn't want me to leave her. She was squeezing my hand,” said Mitchell, “At the time, I didn't really want to go up in there, but it was just like... my instincts just ran me up into the house."
The Good Samaritans then spotted a lone worker from the facility, which carried the name Kozy Kottage, trying to help a second woman through the door.
"We were able to drag her from the door to the edge of the steps,” said Monroe, “We weren't strong enough to get her any further, and I told her, 'C'mon. We have to get you off these steps,' and she just said, 'I can't do it,' or 'I can't make it.'"
As the intense heat and flames spread to the front of the structure, the couple was forced to back away knowing that more victims remained inside.
"She said there were four more people in there and they all were in wheelchairs,” said Mitchell, “That's what sent me running into the house the first time and we reached the two people, but the other four people we didn't see them come out until once the ambulance brought them out, but the first guy they brought out he was deceased though. They tried to revive him right there on the stretcher, but he was lifeless. You could pretty much tell he was deceased."
Fire officials have confirmed that two unidentified people died in the fire, and paramedics transported four others to area hospitals where they're listed in critical condition.
There's still no word on what caused the fire.
RELATED: 9 fire deaths reported so far in 2017
Better look at damage in fatal NW Baltimore fire. Home listed as Kozy Kottage Assisted Living online. @ABC2NEWS pic.twitter.com/AuHnVEAKEk
— Brendan McNamara (@BrendanABC2) March 3, 2017
Just got to scene of house fire on 2800 blk Lawina Rd. Working on details for #GMM2 @ABC2NEWS pic.twitter.com/VI3I0m7TgV
— Brendan McNamara (@BrendanABC2) March 3, 2017
The fire was placed under control at 3:32 a.m.
There have been nine fire fatalities in Baltimore so far this year, fire officials said.
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