The blaze broke out in the 2000 block of Eastburn Avenue just after 4 p.m.
"I was hoping against hope that it was not going to be that bad, but when I saw all these people..." said homeowner Willa Pearl Coaxum. "I just... unbelievable."
An Action News viewer captured the intense flames coming from the second floor of the rowhome.
It's not clear what sparked the inferno.
"I don't know how it started because I went out, and everything was turned off, even the fans and everything," said Coaxum.
It took 50 firefighters nearly an hour to tame the flames and at times the smoke was very intense.
"We had two firefighters that received minor injuries," said Lt. Stan Freeman.
Kevin D'Voice watched on the sidewalk.
"My heart began to race because you really couldn't tell what was wrong," he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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