Loved ones and neighbors are mourning the death of two people in a row home fire that also destroyed a nearby church.
A 60-year-old woman and 53-year-old man died Saturday morning after a fire broke out in their Point Breeze home, investigators said.
More than 60 firefighters arrived at the two-story home, located on the 1400 block of South 23rd Street, shortly before 5 a.m. They battled “very heavy fire from the first floor” before finding the two bodies on the second floor.
Officials have not identified the victims though residents who knew them told NBC10 they were "great friends and neighbors" with "hearts of gold."
"I just talked to her yesterday afternoon, on my way home from work," Tyrik Wilson said. "She was standing outside. She was telling me about her daughter. And I told her I would come back and talk to her today."
Five other structures, including a recently renovated church, were also impacted, investigators said. At least 10 people and one cat have been displaced.
"Structures you can rebuild," Joyce Scott, of New Bethany Baptist Church, said. "But the fact that people lost their lives is very disheartening."
Officials told NBC10 that firefighters and investigators will remain at the scene all day to determine the cause of the deadly blaze. City inspectors are also checking the structural integrity of the damaged buildings.
