Long Beach woman and two children narrowly escape apartment fire

A woman and her two children, one two years old and the other 17 years old, were able to escape their apartment after it erupted in flames that broke out windows and billowed above the roof, setting fire to the eaves.
Long Beach Firefighters launched an aggressive attack on the fire, which broke out in an apartment building in the 5900 block of Cherry Avenue at about 11 a.m., said Fire Capt. Jackawa Jackson.
Firefighters pushed into the burning apartment to search for trapped victims while other crews used axes and chainsaws to vent the roof and keep the fire from spreading.
The mother and her two children were home when the fire began and recalled a brief power outage in the unit before dense smoke began to poor from the bedroom and the teenage daughter yelled there was a fire.
All three made it safely outside and the American Red Cross was brought in provide clothing and shelter due to widespread smoke damage, Jackson said.
Firefighters were knocked the blaze down within 10 minutes, he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, he added.
For more information and photos check out the Long Beach Fire Department's news Web site at http://firechannel.org/blog/