VALLEJO, California. – Two people were killed in a house fire in Vallejo early Friday morning. According to the Vallejo Fire Department, the victims were two women, aged 80 and 60, respectively.

“It was big, it went up to the roof,” said neighbor Diana Ellis, who was awakened by the smell of smoke. “I couldn’t call 911 on my cell phone. That made me so upset. I didn’t know if they were in there or not.”

By this time, another neighbor had already called 911 and was trying his best to put out the flames with a garden hose. Firefighters arrived at the home in the 100 block of De Paul Drive shortly afterward and found a woman in her 80s in the living room of the home, already dead. Another woman in her 60s was discovered unconscious on the floor in a back bedroom and taken to the hospital, but firefighters say she also did not survive.

“It was just horrible,” Ellis said, adding that although she did not know the women well, they were always friendly and helpful when she met them in the neighborhood.

Emergency crews said they were able to put out the fire within 30 minutes. Two dead dogs were also discovered in the house. The Vallejo Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Firefighters are reminding people to check the batteries in their smoke detectors and make sure bedroom doors are closed while sleeping.