Two people were hospitalized Sunday after they tried to save their flat-screen TV before leaving their burning St. Paul apartment.

Firefighters were called to the six-unit apartment building at 624 N. Chatsworth St., near North Lexington Parkway and Interstate 94, just before 3 p.m., according to St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard.

He said when firefighters entered the basement apartment, a man and a woman were disconnecting the TV in an attempt to take it out with them.

The room already had filled with thick smoke, he said.

Firefighters had to tell them to leave the TV behind and get to safety, Zaccard said.

The two were treated for smoke inhalation at Regions Hospital, he said.

“They were doing the wrong thing,” Zaccard said. “If you can’t fight the fire, get out and call the fire department. Don’t grab your belongings. … They can be replaced. Your life can’t be.”

Firefighters quickly got the blaze under control, he said, and damage was confined to a portion of the room in that apartment unit.

Zaccard didn’t know whether the television was damaged, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Raya Zimmerman can be reached at 651-228-5524. Follow her at Twitter.com/RayaZimmerman.