Two jump from window to escape Cape house fire

Two people jumped from a second-story window to escape a house fire in Cape Girardeau Monday night.

According to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, the fire broke out at about 11 p.m. at 302 S. Benton St. Everyone was out of the house when fire crews arrived, though two of them told firefighters they had jumped from the window to escape the fire. A child that jumped from the window had a sprained ankle, according to Fire Marshal Brian Shaffer.

Seven people were in the house, six of them children, said Shaffer. He was unsure of the ages of the children.

The fire probably started on the first floor near the rear of the house and spread to the second floor through the stairway. Firefighters battled the blaze for about one-and-a-half hours.

Damage from fire and smoke was extensive. Jackson and Scott City firefighters assisted.

The fire was still under investigation Tuesday morning.