Friend says 2 people killed in Colorado house fire were a father and his son: "breaks my heart"

Two people have died and a dog is missing following an overnight fire in the northwestern part of the Denver metro area. Westminster Fire and Police responded to a home on Marshall Court near 72nd Drive on Tuesday morning just after midnight. There, they found a home engulfed in flames.

"It was just a tragedy. It was very frightening. It was way too close to home," said Paula Luchette, a neighbor.

Luchette said she was asleep when she woke up to find a large emergency response directly outside her Westminster home.

"You couldn't see flames, and then all of a sudden the (neighbor's) whole house was engulfed. Just flames everywhere," Luchette said.

Luchette said there were dozens of emergency response vehicles surrounding the home as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

"It was amazing, all the flashing lights and emergency equipment, The entire street, both east and west, was just full with emergency equipment," Luchette said. "Multiple fire trucks, ambulances and police cars."

Officials confirmed two people were killed and one other was taken to the hospital.

Westminster's fire and police departments declined to interview for this report. However, a friend of the victims told CBS News Colorado the two people who died were a father and his son. The deceased father's partner survived and was released from the hospital Tuesday morning, they said.

"This morning it made me very sad to wake up and see that someone lost their life," Luchette said.

Neighbors, family and friends of the victims gathered outside the home on Tuesday. Many were seen embracing each other as they watched law enforcement and firefighters continue to investigate the scene.

"It breaks my heart," Luchette said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.