A house fire in the Azalea Lakes area killed two people Monday morning.
Spokesman Todd Cartner with Horry County Fire Rescue said the fire was located on Great Lakes Drive, just off the Highway 17 Bypass between Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach.
Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard says John Woods, 71, and his wife, Bernice Woods, 78, both died because of a fire in their home.
The call came in around 6:30 a.m. from a nearby house.
Bobby Oakley lives next door to the Woods and said he ran over as soon as he saw the back half of the top story engulfed in flames.
"The (front) door was so hot," he said. "I mean, I could barely touch it, and I'm just trying to bang on it with my jacket. I just really wanted to get in the house," he said.
Oakley's brother, Zachary Clarke, said the loss of two neighbors is hard for the close-knit neighborhood.
"Everybody gets to know each other (here)," Clarke said. "I couldn't imagine something like that happening so close to home," he said.
Willard says Bernice died at the scene John died after being taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.
Crews are still on the scene trying to determine if anyone else is inside.
Cartner said the house suffered major damage at the back of the home near a bedroom.
The coroner is doing an autopsy on both bodies Tuesday morning.
Count on scnow.com and News 13 for the latest on this developing story.
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