Sam Prosceno saw Tess Vandermale standing on the stairs shouting as heavy black smoke poured out of the roof of her unit in the Village of Canterbury Apartments in Bear.
"She was screaming that her dogs were still inside," Prosceno said.
Christiana Fire Company and assisting companies responded to a fire in the building at the 5000 block of Byron Court at 5:40 p.m. at the Village of Canterbury Apartments in Bear Tuesday and found heavy smoke and flames blazing from the third floor.
"The problem with this structure, is that it burns very very, quickly," said assistant chief Al Huelsenbeck. Once the fire company arrived, Huelsenbeck said they quickly called a second alarm because the fire was likely to spread quickly.