A small hotspot smoldering in the backyard was the last sign of life from a monster fire that killed two people early Sunday.

"The heat was tremendous. The flames were 30, 40 feet up," said Chief Darrell Guilott, St. Tammany Fire District 12.

40-year-old Andrew Crawford and his three-year-old son Brandon, both of Baton Rouge, died in the fire. They were in Covington visiting relatives who lived at the home.

Officials say Andrew Crawford helped get everyone else out, but he went back in to save his son.

"We found out there were still two people trapped inside. We made an initial search, and we did find the first victim -- the father -- and got him out, and they tried CPR, but we couldn't get him back. And then we had to actually fight the fire back a little bit, then we found the little boy," Guilott said.

Three others in the house were treated at a local hospital for burns and smoke inhalation.

Mimi Gauthier lives across the street and took dramatic photos as the fire raged.

She and other neighbors also helped keep the survivors comfortable until help arrived.

"You could tell it was coming from the back of the house, and black, thick smoke was pouring out of the front," Gauthier said. "As it came up the house, things started exploding. It was like a fireworks show. The sky was just completely red. It was the angriest fire I have ever seen."

The fire left most of the house -- and everything in it -- a pile of ashes. Officials believe a wood-burning, outdoor stove may have started it on the home's back porch.

Mimi Gauthier

The father died in the fire after going back into the home to save his son.

Fire officials say the wooden building allowed the flames to spread quickly, and making things worse, there were no smoke detectors in the home.

State Fire Marshall Butch Browning says it's a recurring problem.

"We're very concerned. This is our 93rd death in the state in the last 7 months, and we're really concerned about this because they're occurring in residential dwellings where people sleep in their own homes and there's no smoke detection in those homes," Browning said. "You have to have a smoke detector in your home. You have to have one on each level. You need them in every sleeping room, and you need them outside the sleeping area."

Browning reminds everyone to check the batteries in smoke detectors monthly, and to replace them at least once every year.