Firefighters were dispatched to the 3100 block of Forest Run Way around 2 p.m. after a neighbor in a lower unit smelled smoke and called 911. The four-unit complex sits in a residential area near the city's eastern edge.

When crews arrived, they encountered thick black smoke coming from the second-floor apartment. Inside, they found a living room sofa on fire and extinguished it with a watering can, according to MFD.

Before firefighters arrived, several people attempted to rescue two dogs trapped inside but were driven back by the smoke. Firefighters later pulled the dogs from the unit and performed CPR, but both died of smoke inhalation.

No one was home when the fire started, and no injuries were reported.

Closed bedroom doors kept the fire from causing major damage to those rooms, but the living room sustained extensive fire damage and smoke spread throughout the apartment. The department estimated the dollar loss at $100,000.

The Red Cross was contacted to help the displaced residents with essentials and temporary housing.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

For residents of the tight-knit east side neighborhood, the blaze is a reminder of how quickly a contained fire can spread smoke and displace families. Fire officials have long emphasized that closing bedroom doors before leaving a room can significantly limit fire damage — a detail that proved true in this case.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Madison Fire Department.