After a fire broke out in Broadview Heights Christmas morning, another fire in East Cleveland had firefighters battling smoke on Christmas.
East Cleveland Deputy Fire Chief says is appears the fire started in the basement of an apartment building located in the 1500 block of Coventry Road. The fire chief says the smoke traveled up to the third floor through an open door.
Firefighters were able to rescue a woman and her child, who were trapped on the third floor. The woman and child were treated on scene for minor smoke inhalation.
"It happened so fast. It was like one minute, everyone came in the hallway and closed their doors. Two minutes later, everything was full of smoke," said neighbor David Warren. "She was just hanging out the window. She said there was too much smoke so she couldn't get out. [The firefighters] got here just in time."
Fire officials said they are still working on determining what started the fire. Warren, who lives in a unit directly above the boiler room, said he heard a loud boom followed by the sound of crackling wires seconds before the fire alarms went off.
"We're probably not going to have heat for two, three or four days. It's really, really, really cold," Warren said. "It's a sad day, but everybody got out and everybody is safe. That's the main thing."
