Two people have died as a result of a duplex fire in Lower Sackville, N.S., early Saturday morning.

Nova Scotia RCMP say the fire started just after 2:30 a.m. on Leaside Drive.

Police say a 11-year-old girl and 58-year-old man died in the fire.

An 18-year-old man was sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries. A 46-year-old woman suffered minor injuries after being rescued by RCMP officers from a second floor window.

"There was a female in an upstairs window and they were able to retrieve a ladder from a neighbouring property, go up and rescue the woman from the room as well as a dog that was in the duplex," says Cpl. Dal Hutchinson of Nova Scotia RCMP.

Neighbour Edmond Tremblay says it was a terrifying sight.

“I definitely heard a woman screaming for help. That's one of the things that roused me from my sleep,” says neighbour Edmond Tremblay. “It was not like there were flames leaping out of the building, but it was enough to enshroud the entire street with smoke."

Fire investigators were on scene through the night and until mid-morning. Residents living in the other half of the duplex weren't hurt. They were allowed to enter to gather food and a few belongings Saturday morning.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw.