Two Ocala residents were transported to a local hospital Wednesday night after a fire at their residence.
Crews from Ocala Fire Rescue responded to the blaze in the 1400 block of N.E. 17th Street at 8:57 p.m. When they arrived, they encountered flames showing through a bedroom window, a report says.
Firefighters were told that a neighbor had helped four residents escape the burning home. A rescue crew assessed the patients while engine crews attacked the fire, which was knocked down by 9:12 p.m. and damaged about 50 percent of the structure, according to the report.
Two residents were transported to the hospital due to smoke inhalation, while two others were evaluated at the scene. The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation.
The Ocala Police Department, Marion County Fire Rescue, Ocala Electric Utility, the American Red Cross and the fire department’s chaplain also responded to the incident.