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Shocking video shows 8-year-old boy jumping from fourth floor apartment to escape fire

Posted at 10:40 AM, Mar 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-27 10:40:09-04

GARY, Ind. — An 8-year-old boy took a daring jump from a fourth-story apartment window to escape a fire in Gary, Indiana. He was caught by neighbors holding blankets who had urged him to leap to safety.

Two other children, 2-year-old Kailani Gober and 4-year-old Khristopher Gober, died of smoke inhalation and burns, according to the Lake County coroner.

Survivor Monty Spencer, 8, can be seen in cellphone footage jumping from the fourth-story window.  "It was scary when I had to jump," but he had no other choice, he told WGN. Monty was not injured.

The fire started Sunday in the building's fourth floor and left the building uninhabitable, according to Gary Fire Department Chief of Operations Mark Jones. More than 100 people were displaced.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.