AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Two people died in a house fire over the weekend. It happened on Old Louisville Road.

At around 4:30 Saturday morning, Augusta fire and EMA crews were called to the home.  When they got there, they found two people near the home’s entrance.

Emergency responders say the home fire was “well-involved” when they arrived.

Next-door neighbor Travis Mainer tells us he was still awake when he heard a loud boom followed by popping sounds outside of his house. His bedroom window faces the other home. “It lit up orange,” said Mainer. “So, I knew that we had a problem going on. The flames were just… it was amazing how fast it burned the house down.”

Firefighters discovered a man and woman in the home. Both later died at the scene.

Mainer says he and his next-door neighbor always had a friendly rapport. “We always exchanged some little token at Christmas,” said Mainer. “And the other gentleman- his brother- extremely nice. You know, mail gets misplaced sometimes and he would bring it over.”

Another neighbor, Dianne Miller says she was able to speak to the brother after the incident. “He came up to me and told me that his brother and his girlfriend were gone,” said Miller. “That he had gone to McDonald’s and when he had come back, that was the result.”

Miller says things feel a little different in the neighborhood lately. “There is a vibe around here that’s not really positive right now,” said Miller. “We’re a little sad around here – I can feel it in the air.”

Still, she says Saturday’s incident has made her more vigilant. “It makes us all conscious of what are we doing- are we making sure that our smoke detectors are working and everything?” said Miller. “It makes us conscious of what’s going on.”

Mainer says he’s still processing it all. “It’s not that long ago that I had a spouse pass away,” said Mainer. “And I’ve been through all of that. And this just kind of reminds me of feelings that I haven’t totally dealt with yet. But, um, it’s just devastating…”

“As a neighbor, we’re all going to keep him in prayer,” said Miller. “You know, keep the entire family in prayer- and just hope everything turns out for the best for him.”

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Augusta Fire Department says the investigation into the cause of the deadly fire remains ongoing. The Criminal Investigation Division also responded to the scene. The coroner has not identified the victims.