Chicago firefighters say a child trying to sleep in a first-floor bedroom moved the space heater too close to the bed. The bedding caught fire and quickly spread through the rest of the house. Firefighters kept the blaze from spreading next door but the house itself is a total loss.
"The children did attempt to fight the fire themselves. That is another important issue that time was probably wasted in attempting to extinguish the fire themselves with buckets of water. Obviously it got away from them and by the time we got there we did have a great deal of fire," said Patrick Malone, Chicago Fire Department.
Everyone managed to escape, except for a two-year-old girl. Luckily, she was rescued by a Chicago firefighter. Her mother, Cecilia Jones, suffered smoke inhalation and had to go to the hospital. She says the famil. has lost everything.
"Almost everything is lost but I love god so much because he blessed with the most important thing in my life and that's my kids and my grandmother," said Cecilia Jones.
Neighbors who witnessed the fire are amazed no one was seriously injured.
"It's a miracle that no one died in that house. It's a true miracle, they have to be blessed," said Renee Jackson, neighbor.
Firefighters say this is another example of what can happen if a space heater is used improperly. They are reminding everyone to keep them at least three feet away from the bed or another piece of furniture.
