Two children suffer serious burns in San Jose fire, neighbors called 'heroic'
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU and wires) -- Two children are in the hospital after suffering serious burns in a two-alarm fire at an apartment building in San Jose Thursday morning, according to fire officials.
The first report of the fire came in at 8:05 a.m. in the 1900 block of Story Road, a fire dispatcher said.
Frank Montes, the owner of nearby Montez Glass Co., said it looked like one person jumped out of a second story window and was later placed on a gurney.
Fire Capt. Mike Van Elgort clarified that the two children jumped out of the second-story window. Both children suffered second-degree burns or worse, with burns across a large part of their bodies, Van Elgort said.
However, he said "that doesn't mean life-threatening."
A third person, an adult, suffered from smoke inhalation, Van Elgort said.
The captain said no firefighters were injured.
The fire was under control at 8:36 a.m. and the fire damaged only one apartment. Van Elgort said as of 9:30 a.m., residents of the other apartments would be allowed back in the building shortly.
Neighbors helped extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived and other neighbors helped the injured adult out of the apartment, according to Van Elgort.
He said called the neighbors "very heroic and altruistic."