Two North Vancouver men are being hailed as heroes for helping their neighbours escape from a burning apartment building this week.

The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon at a property on Lonsdale Avenue and 26th Street, forcing everyone in the building to flee.

But Teresa Semeniano, her mother and her young daughter couldn't leave; smoke was trapping them in their home on the second floor.

"There was no way out. It's too dark, it's smoky," Semeniano said. "So we shouted. Me and my mom and my daughter shouted for help."

Fortunately, two of their neighbours, Damon Pappas and Jeremy Zirk, heard them screaming and rushed to their rescue.

Pappas first hopped into his Jeep and pulled it up underneath their window. Zirk immediately jumped onto the vehicle and together they started lowering Semeniano and her family down to safety.

"They jumped out the window toward me and I grabbed them and I lowered them down to him," Zirk said.

For their quick thinking, Chief Dan Pistilli of the North Vancouver City Fire Department had nothing but praise for the pair, describing their actions as heroic.

"Very thankful for their efforts. While we were suppressing the fire they were performing a rescue for us off the back of the building," Pistilli said.

Semeniano agreed.

"I just want to say thank you for all the heroes who helped us to get out," she said Thursday after returning to the burned out building.

But Pappas and Zirk were hesitant to accept the acclaim.

"I don't know," Pappas said. "It had to be done. [It was] just instinct."

The fire, which is believed to have been accidental, did plenty of damage to the property, but everyone escaped unharmed – thanks in some cases to help from their neighbours.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson