A fast-moving fire devastated a Detroit apartment complex early Wednesday, sending frantic residents leaping from windows and at least four people to the hospital, officials said.
Fire officials at the Jason Manor Apartments couldn’t immediately say if there were any fatalities or how many people were unaccounted for in the 6 a.m. blaze. Thirty-nine of the 42 units in the three-story complex were occupied, said Detroit Fire Commissioner Jonathan Jackson.
Authorities said they rescued about 25 people, many wearing only pajamas as they were kept warm on school buses in the early-morning cold, reported NBC affiliate WDIV.
“Our firefighters did a heroic job,” Jackson said.
NBC NewsAt least a dozen people were rescued from an apartment building fire in Detroit on March 5, 2014.
The injured included a man who suffered second-degree burns on his hand, and a man and a woman who complained of pain after jumping from a second-floor window, The Detroit News reported.
Police were called to the building earlier to deal with a disturbance at a party, Jackson said, and they were expected to investigate whether that was related to the fire.
Police spokesman Rodney Johnson said that when officers arrived shortly after 3 a.m., a woman reported being sexually assaulted and was taken to a hospital. He said she was visiting someone in the building but didn't know the person who allegedly assaulted her.
Survivors said they were jolted from bed hearing screams and smelling smoke. The flames engulfed the exits.
Aundrell Grayson said his family’s only choice was to flee through the window of his second-floor apartment. He was with his 3-year-old daughter and wife.
“Somebody was already outside, and I handed down the baby first, then my wife, then me,” Grayson told WDIV.
“It’s real scary,” he said as his daughter, wrapped in a blanket, stayed warm inside a car. “I’m just happy that we’re out.”
— Erik Ortiz
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
First published March 5 2014, 7:34 AM
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