DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Two sisters are dead after a fire tore through a DeKalb County home on Christmas.
The fire happened just before midnight Tuesday on Wood Castle Lane.
Authorities have identified the victims as Ella Hicks, 75, and Katie Hicks, 71.
"We’re gonna really miss them because they were really sweet ladies and we would just wave at each other and stuff," said Ermatine Norwood, a neighbor of the victims.
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Crews got the call of a house fire late Tuesday night.
When they showed up, flames were shooting from the house and firefighters had to back off.
“They attempted to make an offensive entry into the house and got pushed back out due to heavy fire conditions inside the structure,” DeKalb County Fire Battalion Chief Kenneth McKinney said.
Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes spoke with neighbors who said the fire was horrific. The Rev. Larry Norwood said he heard the blaze before he could see anything.
"I thought somebody was sick and they had rescue just come but, when I looked out the window, fire was coming out the windows, and we were just praying that they wasn’t there," he said.
There were reports of people trapped inside.
Once crews put out the flames, they searched for the victims.
“We do have two confirmed fatalities at this location right now,” McKinney said early Wednesday.
Investigators are working to find out what started the fire.