Tremont, OH- Four people, including two children, were injured Tuesday morning in what felt like an explosion in Tremont.
The two-alarm fire broke out after 3 a.m. on Jefferson and Tremont avenues. There were reports of flames shooting through the roof.
Officials had to evacuate 12 people from four homes after flames spread.
There were seven people living inside the home that originally caught fire. Everyone got out, but two children and their mother were taken to a local hospital, and a woman living upstairs had to jump from a second-story window. She suffered burns.
Witnesses said the woman who escaped told paramedics that she lit a cigarette and her apartment exploded.
The children have been released from the hospital after suffering smoke inhalation. Fire officials learned that the children’s mother was also injured when a board from the ceiling fell on her while she was trying to escape. She is expected to be OK.
Neighbors had to evacuate when flames spread to their home. They said they crawled underneath fiery rubble and debris to get out.
The people living inside the home said that Monday night they smelled natural gas but never found a leak.
Investigators are looking into whether there was a natural gas explosion in the home.