NORTHBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - Two young women were killed in a fire overnight in Northbridge after they were unable to escape the fire in their home.

The fire burned a duplex on Border Street around at around 3 a.m. Saturday. Witnesses said the fire made the house’s windows explode.

Killed in the fire were Nicole Lavallee and Jordann Fontaine, both 22 years old. Neighbors tried to get into the duplex to reach the women but said the flames were too intense.

“I came downstairs, got my husband and all three of us ran over there but by the time we got over there, the fire had spread so fast,” said neighbor Claire Reed.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighters said the unit that Lavallee and Fontaine lived in did not have a working smoke detector.

“I’m heartbroken, I’m in disbelief,” said Arissa Devries, a close friend of both women.

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