Two children and an adult were injured on Monday when a fire burned an apartment at Himbola Manor.
Firefighters were called to the Martin Luther King Drive complex around 4:39 p.m.; when they arrived four minutes later they were told two children were possibly trapped inside the smoke-filled apartment. They knocked down the fire and went looking for the children, whom they found in a bedroom. The five-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were rescued by firefighters, who started life-saving measures. Medics took over and they were both transported to a local hospital, where they are listed in stable condition.
An woman living upstairs from the apartment was burned fleeing her apartment with her baby in her arms, firefighters say. She went to the hospital to be evaluated; firefighters say she had minor burns.
The apartment sustained heavy fire damage. The fire caused damaged to an upstairs unit as well. Smoke alarms were activated when firefighters arrived on scene. Several neighbors attempted to make entry, but the heat was too intense.
Fire officials determined the fire originated on a sofa in the living room. Investigators believe the younger sibling was playing with a lighter on the sofa and ignited combustible materials. The fire was ruled an accident.
