Fire damaged a residence on the city's Southside today, but everyone inside made it out uninjured.

The fire, at 238 Furman St., was called in about 11:55 a.m. by a Time-Warner Co. employee.

The blaze started in a first-floor apartment, and flames were blowing out the windows when firefighters arrived, said Syracuse Deputy Fire Chief Robert Bratt. Firefighters had it out in about 10 minutes, but the house suffered extensive damage, Bratt said.

Brian Magee, 24, of Syracuse, was re-running some cable wire to a back apartment of the house when he noticed the fire. He had just come down a utility pole when his attention was drawn to the front porch.

"Two little girls came out of the house screaming and crying, and I could see fire through the front window," Magee said.

Magee had the girls, one of whom was in her teens, stand by his work van and Magee alerted the back apartment residents by kicking on a door, he said.

Magee said the fire quickly grew and was "pouring out" the front window. He called 911 and put the two girls in his van to keep warm. He contacted the girls' mother, who had gone to the store and was on her way back, he said.