'The devil was in there': Neighbor rescues father, son from deadly Philadelphia house fire

A community in Philadelphia came together to honor the lives lost in a devastating house fire over the weekend.

The blaze that broke out Saturday morning on the 900 block of Granite Street could have been a lot worse if neighbors and an off-duty Philadelphia police officer weren't there to help.

Prayer brought the Summerdale neighborhood together Sunday night after the recent tragedy.

"This is the City of Brotherly Love, we have to be here for each other. Good times and bad," said Kathy Wersinger through tears.

Residents remembered a mother and daughter -- who were 31 and 8 years old -- who died in the fire.

Their identities have not yet been released.

According to officials, six people were inside the home when the fire broke out.

Four were able to escape as the fire quickly spread to the home next door.

Two of those who escaped were a father and son, another was identified as a 28-year-old man, and the last escapee fled the scene, police say.

One good Samaritan recalled how he had tried to help the family as the flames broke out, saving a young boy and his father in the process.

"I went in, I grabbed the father then I put myself on the ground. I crawled and I got the little boy and I took them out," explained Richard Castro, who lives on the block.

Castro knew something was wrong when he saw smoke coming from the home, but no one was coming out.

"I kicked the door down and, like the devil was in there, he didn't want anybody out," said Castro as he described the intensity of the fire.

Castro told Action News he often stopped by the house. The little girl liked to play with his bird.

Relatives said she just celebrated her birthday last week.

An off-duty police officer was first on the scene. He was on his way to work when he saw thick, black smoke approaching Granite Street.

"I ran into the living room and attempted to go up the steps but the smoke and fire was too thick for me to get up," said Philadelphia Police Officer Stephen Ratka.

"I went into (the neighboring home) and got an older female and a baby out of that house. Went through that house completely to make sure nobody else was in there," Ratka recalled.

In a matter of minutes, he was able to rescue neighbors who were stuck.

"I reacted out of instinct," Ratka said.

Relatives said the father and the son are still being treated in the hospital.

What caused the fire is still under investigation. Officials said the home did not have working smoke detectors.