A 45-year-old man was taken to a hospital in critical condition with burn injuries, a Cleveland Division of Fire spokesperson said.
In Cleveland, a man has died and another is in critical condition after they jumped out of a second-floor window to escape a house fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to a spokesperson from the Cleveland Division of Fire.
Fire crews responded to the home on East 121st Street around 4:20 a.m., Lt. Mike Norman, the fire department’s public information officer, said.
Upon arrival, the 60-year-old man was pronounced dead. The 45-year-old man sustained burn injuries and was taken to the hospital after leaping from the window. Authorities have reported that he is currently in critical condition.
A firefighter also sustained a back injury while removing the victim from the home. He is in stable condition.
“Flames everywhere. Way up here, way up here. I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ I thought I was dreaming,” said Joseph Williams.
Williams said he woke up to find flames spewing from his next door neighbor’s home on East 121st Street.
“I have never seen a fire like this in real life,” said Williams.
Lt. Mike Norman, a spokesman for the Cleveland Division of Fire said firefighters responded to the home around 4:20 a.m.
“They found a house well involved with fire,” said Norman.
According to Lt. Norman, crews found the 60-year-old man dead in an upstairs bedroom.
“He was a nice dude. Nice dude!” said Williams. “He would fix everybody’s car in the neighborhood. He was nice. Can’t say nothing bad about him.”
Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man jumped from the burning home’s second story window.
Williams lent him a hand.
Williams expressed his emotional response to the situation, stating, “I was crying. I was crying because… Whew! Help me, God. Brother was right there crying I mean, ‘Help me, help me!’ I said ‘Brother, I ain’t going nowhere. I’m right here with you,’” sharing the intense moments during the incident.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“Usually [investigators] wrap these things up fairly quickly,” said Lt. Norman. “They’re working on it today.”
Officials estimate the fire caused around $150,000 in damage to the home.
