Mother and Child Escape Apartment Fire through Second-story Window

A mother and her child escaped a fire at an Auburn apartment complex Wednesday through a second-story window. 

Communications officers with began receiving calls about the fire about 4:42 pm. Callers said people were trapped on the second floor of the apartment.

Two engines, a ladder truck, two ambulances and two command units responded to the Mount Moriah Road address, where firefighters found smoke coming from the front of the complex. The mother and her child were already outside of the building.

The fire originated on the first floor of the complex, and the victims, who were upstairs, were cut off from a downstairs exit by the fire. The mother was able to hand her child through the second-story window to a bystander, and then she jumped out the window.

After ensuring the victims had not sustained life-threating injuries, firefighters were able to make an aggressive interior attack and contain the fire to the first floor of the affected apartment. No other apartment units sustained damage.

The mother and child were transported by ambulance to area hospitals for evaluation.

The cause of the fire was determined to be a child playing with a lighter.

“Parents need to insure that all matches and lighters are well out of the reach of children,” Public Information Officer Lt. Rob Nowakowski said in a news release. 

Later that night, firefighters were called out to another Auburn address for a reported structure fire.

At 12:07 a.m. Thursday, communications officers received several calls reporting a house fire on Hillside Court. Upon arrival, firefighters found the residence fully involved in flames. After all occupants were accounted for, due to the amount of fire present, firefighters made a defensive attack. The house was a total loss, but no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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