Orange flames were engulfing both sides of the multi-family home -- from the ground to the roof.
And smoke was billowing into the air from the windows and the second-floor balcony, where four residents stood.
The scene Friday morning on Kenwood Street was dire. Residents had no place to go -- their home was being taken over by flames and they couldn’t get to the front door.
“Help! Help me!,” one of the residents exclaimed from the upper porch. It was 5:26 a.m. and the Brockton Fire Department received a residential fire alarm for 23 Kenwood St. An engine responded to the home to investigate if anything was wrong and found heavy flames coming from the side of the multi-family house.
“While they were stretching the (hose) line, they noticed four people on the second-floor balcony,” Fire Chief Michael Williams said at the scene. “They immediately dropped the line, grabbed a ground ladder ... and rescued four people.”