(Portland, OR) -- Two women were killed in a church fire early Sunday morning at the Word and Spirit Church in Northeast Portland. Residents living next to the church called 911 to report a fire at the church had spread to their house. Arriving firefighters were told church members might be inside, but the flames kept them from searching the building. They tried to use a ladder to reach the second floor, but the roof began to collapse and firefighters couldn't get inside. They put out the fire in the church and prevented the fire from destroying the house. Two women in their mid-70s died in the fire. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.