Fire investigators are on scene this morning after a late-night house fire killed two people in central Regina.

Around 10 p.m. fire crews were called to a home on the corner of Montreal Street and 12th Avenue.

"On arrival there was a fully involved house,” said Albert Headrick, with the Regina Fire Department.

The fire had quickly spread to a second house and within an hour and a half, flames were shooting out of its attic, but the fire department was able to stop the blaze.

Fire and police investigators determined Saturday that the fire started in the living room, and was caused by misuse of lighting material and flamable products.

The homes are now boarded up.

Neighbour witnesses blaze

Shawna Semaganis lives at the other end of the street and went running to check on a co-worker, who lives in that area, as soon as she heard the sirens.

"I don't know how fast the response was, but I just kept hearing sirens and sirens and sirens and I knew it was pretty serious,” she said. Her co-worker’s home was unaffected, but she saw one of the men who escaped the fire.

"One of the dudes that was standing out here had no shoes on and I ran back home, got him a pair of shoes, because he was out here in his stocking feet. The front of his bunny hug was burned, and somebody else gave him a jacket."

There were seven people inside the home where the blaze began; two died, three were taken to hospital and another two were checked by emergency medical services on scene.

Estimated damages are about $170,000 to the house at 1901 Montreal Street, and $60,000 to the house at 1903 Montreal Street.

The house where the fire originated had hardwired smoke alarms.

Edited by News Talk Radio's Angela Hill and Jared Knoll.