Two brothers, aged 20 and 15, are being hailed as heroes after they entered a burning nursing home in Glendale, California, to rescue trapped elderly residents. The fire broke out at an assisted living facility on the 1800 block of Mountain Street around 4:45 p.m. Friday, sending flames and thick gray smoke into the air.

Alex Bazinyan, 20, saw the nurse outside the facility screaming for help. His younger brother, Narek, 15, followed him, and they realized multiple residents were trapped inside. Alex told KTLA that he initially tried to help with a hose, but the situation escalated as cries for assistance intensified and the fire grew.

Before firefighters arrived, the brothers entered the building. "I go inside this big room and I see all these old people on the floor with catheters," Alex recounted. "Some people were injured, had blood on their legs. We just took everybody out one by one."

Eight people were trapped inside, including two nurses who were struggling to evacuate the residents. Narek described the chaotic scene, recalling, "As I’m looking around, I just see flames going up and coming towards me. I tried bringing everyone out as fast as I could. There was smoke everywhere. I was pretty much blinded by the smoke."

Narek, 15, followed and the brothers soon realized multiple people were trapped inside the burning facility

Two additional neighbors assisted in bringing all six elders to safety on the front lawn just before first responders arrived. Alex reported hearing an explosion moments after the last person was pulled from the building.

Flames and thick gray smoke billowed from the facility on the 1800 block of Mountain Street

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The Glendale Fire Department chief indicated that an oxygen tank likely exploded, leading to a partial collapse of the home. Firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby residences. Seven individuals sustained minor injuries.

Firefighters eventually put out the blaze before it spread to nearby homes. Seven people suffered minor injuries

Alex described his actions as an instinct to help those in need, stating, "It’s that instinct of whenever you see people in need, you want to help them out." Narek added, "If you ever see anyone in need, you should always try to help them out as much as you can."