There's a real mystery in a quiet Davenport neighborhood. It became a startling sight for residents around 8:30 Wednesday morning.
"There was smoke everywhere," recalled Alex Waddell, who lives nearby.
First responders removed a man and woman from 2621 East 50th Street in Davenport. They were airlifted to University Hospitals in Iowa City, where they are listed in critical condition.
"They were working on one of them in the driveway," Waddell recalled. "But it was pretty bad."
Firefighters worked quickly to douse the flames. There's some smoke and fire damage in the house.
"It appears from the radio traffic that the fire was under control in a relatively short period of time," said District Chief Mike Ryan, Davenport Fire Department.
While officials aren't yet identifying the victims, neighbors say they lived in the house for at least a decade. They are described as friendly residents who liked to walk around the neighborhood.
Now, investigators must try to piece together exactly what happened there.
As crime scene tape surrounded the house by mid-morning, investigators photographed two pieces of evidence. There's something that looks like burned clothing. Not far away, there's a gas can.
"It woke everybody up," Waddell said. "When you have seven fire trucks and four ambulances, that's not good news."
All of this is tough on a neighborhood that's not used to the spotlight. It's hard to imagine the horror that took place inside the house.
"Just hoping everybody's okay in there," Waddell concluded.
"This certainly is a tragic day as well," Ryan added.
It will likely be even more tragic as the evidence helps to solve this mystery.