Firefighters Rescue Four Trapped in Burning Las Vegas House

Las Vegas firefighters rescued four people who were trapped in a burning home outfitted burglar bars on the windows and doors early Thursday.

The blaze broke out at around 5:30 a.m. in the 4300 block of Mott Circle, the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue said in a release. When crews from Las Vegas and Clark County arrived, they could hear screams for help from inside, and flames and thick smoke was coming from the single-story home.

In the front of the house, a man and woman were pressed up against the burglar bars, trying to get air, the department said. Two people also had their faces pressed against the bars in the back of the house.

Firefighters used saws to cut through the bars in the front and rear of the house. Once the bars were removed, the people inside were pulled from the house.

Two people suffered smoke inhalation and cuts from broken window glass and were taken to a local hospital. Two others refused to go to the hospital, the department added.

Although the burglar bars were outfitted with emergency releases on the inside, the knobs had been removed. The insdie of the structure was filled with trash, and it appeared that the people inside were squatters, according to the department.