PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Two men were killed, one person was critically injured and 16 others were displaced after a fire destroyed a two-story home early Thursday morning.

Officials said the fire broke out around 2:15 a.m. in the 1300 block of El Sereno Avenue, just north of Washington Boulevard.

Witness Evelyn Vazquez said she heard a large explosion and then the house filled with smoke.

“I actually heard them screaming and saying that they needed help and that they needed someone to call 911,” Vazquez said.

“I heard a couple of loud pops,” resident Rick Kindred said. “Basically we were trying to get as many out that were able to get out.”

Kindred and 15 other men who were staying at the home, which the property manager said was a room for board facility, were about to get out.

“When we see many of these adult males coming out saying there could be others inside, that’s obviously a concern,” Pasadena Fire Department Spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.

One man was taken to a local hospital and is suffering from severe burns.

The American Red Cross set up a shelter for the displaced residents at the Jackie Robinson Center located at 1020 N. Fair Oaks Avenue.

The cause of the fire and explosion are under investigation.