SOUTH BEND, Ind. – An off-duty Mishawaka firefighter and another male rescued a woman and her three children from an apartment fire before rescue crews got to the scene on Wednesday.

The South Bend Fire Department was called to a fire at the 2000 block of W. Western Avenue on Wednesday.

When the men arrived, they ran past the smoke and flames to the second floor when they located the woman at the window.  They pulled her and her three children out through the window.

The firefighter worked with the male to pass the children over the railing of the stairs, continuously passing through the flames.

The firefighter said he’s never experienced something so intense, even after 30 years on the job.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but officials determined it originated from the second floor deck of the home.

No injuries were reported.