Updated at 9:35 PM Nov 25, 2018
HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WANE) – A woman and child are dead after a house fire in Huntington.
The Huntington County Coroner’s office says around 4 a.m. Sunday morning the Huntington Fire Department was called to a fully involved house fire in the 300 block of Lee Street.
They say when police arrived, they were told two people were missing. Police then kicked in the rear door, but could not enter due to intense flames.
Firefighters could not enter the home because it was structurally unsound.
A woman and two children were able to escape by jumping out of a second story window.
Neighbors told WANE 15 the woman frantically knocked on doors screaming for help.
“She goes call 911 my house is on fire and I ran in there to grab my phone and put my shoes and call 911,” said Tony Schultz who lives across the street.
The woman suffered a fractured ankle and smoke inhalation. She was transported to a Fort Wayne hospital along with her two children.
After an hour and a half of fighting the fire, crews were able to bring it under control. Once it was safe, emergency personnel entered the house and found the body of a woman on the first floor, and the body of child on the second floor.
Family members who showed up at the scene Sunday afternoon told WANE 15 the woman who died was a grandmother in her 50’s and the child a little girl.
They said the woman who made it out was the little girl’s mother and the two other children who jumped were young boys.
Family also told WANE 15 it was one of the boys who woke up his mom alerting her about the fire.
Several cats and dogs inside the home died, too.
The investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing. The Huntington Fire Department and Indiana State Fire Marshalls Office are investigating.
The names and cause of death for the woman and child have not been released.
Original story
HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WANE) – A woman and child are dead after a house fire in Huntington.
The Huntington County Coroner’s office says around 4 a.m. Sunday morning the Huntington Fire Department was called to a fully involved house fire in the 300 block of Lee Street.
They say when police arrived, they were told two people were missing. Police then kicked in the rear door, but could not enter due to intense flames.
Firefighters could not enter the home because it was structurally unsound.
A woman and two children were able to escape by jumping out of a second story window. The woman suffered a fractured ankle and smoke inhalation.
It’s unclear if the children suffered any injuries.
After an hour and a half of fighting the fire, crews were able to bring it under control. Once it was safe, emergency personnel entered the house and found the body of a woman on the first floor, and the body of child on the second floor.
Several cats and dogs inside the home died, too.
The investigation into what caused the fire is still ongoing. The Huntington Fire Department and Indiana State Fire Marshalls Office are investigating.
The names and cause of death for the woman child have not been released.