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Teen jumps from second story window to escape Detroit fire

Posted at 5:07 AM, Mar 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-31 17:17:03-04

Crews battled a house fire on Euclid near Clairmont and Linwood on Detroit's west side this morning. 

Witnesses say a 13-year-old boy had to jump from a second story window to escape the flames.

The homeowner is a grandmother and says her daughter spotted a fire in the kitchen when she woke up to check on her baby. Five people were inside when the fire started.

"I woke up hearing someone hollering, screaming to jump...there's a fire and all that," said Joseph Harris who lives in the home. 

A neighbor heard the screaming and jumped into action.

"I just ran, my first instinct was to help," said Tiffany Oliver. "That's what people do, you help. This is a neighborhood...a village and this is my village." 

She said the teen who was caught in an upstairs bedroom was scared to jump at first.

"He kept saying, 'I can't, I can't' and I'm like, 'yes, you can, we gonna catch you' -- and we caught him." 

He suffered some scrapes and bruises.  

Several people, including the neighbor, were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. 

We're told everyone is expected to be OK. 

Crews are still trying to figure out how the fire started.