INDIANAPOLIS -- Two people were able to rescue the occupants of a duplex and adjacent home that caught fire Monday morning on Indianapolis' east side.

The Good Samaritans were on their way to work at about 8 a.m. when they saw flames and stopped to see if anyone was still inside.

Jeff Trittipo called 911 and then helped get people out of the home after he and others saw a television on inside.

"We started knocking on the doors," Trittipo said. "There were three occupants in the brown house and probably four or five in the gray house next to it."

The other rescuer, Mike Boler, said the occupants of the duplex were disoriented when he went inside, including a man upstairs.

"He was trying to get dressed, so I put him over my shoulder and we just came down the steps," Boler said. "About that time is when the fire trucks started showing up."

Boler said numerous animals were also rescued from both homes.

"I got woke up by three people pounding on my door telling me my house was on fire. I went out back and it was smoking pretty bad," said Shane Zook. "If it wasn't for you guys, I probably would have died because I was asleep."

All of the people inside got out safely, but the duplex was heavily damaged.

Indianapolis fire Capt. Rita Reith said the men who went inside the home were heroic.

"When faced with something like that -- if you thought about it, you probably wouldn't do it," Reith said. "I'm happy that they were able to do it and it was a successful outcome."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.