2 children dead in Indiana fire; boy jumps to safety

GARY, Ind. – Authorities say two children died during an apartment building fire in Indiana, while another survived after leaping from the fourth floor into a blanket held by neighbours.

Gary Fire Department Chief of Operations Mark Jones tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times the fire started Sunday on the building’s fourth floor. The Lake County coroner’s office says the children who died were 2-year-old Kailani Gober and 4-year-old Khristopher Gober.

Jones says the sister and brother suffered smoke inhalation and burns.

Jones says an 8-year-old boy jumped from the fourth floor and neighbours caught him with a blanket. He wasn’t injured. One neighbour says: “We were crying and thanking God.”

Officials say the fire left the more than 50-unit building uninhabitable, displacing more than 100 people. The cause is under investigation.