Family of 7 escapes Detroit house fire through 2nd story window

DETROIT, Mich. (FOX 2) - One by one, a family of seven evacuated a burning house in Detroit out of a second-story window.

The next door neighbor, Shantaesha Young, works overnight and was getting ready for bed around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday when she heard a loud noise. 

As she looked outside, Young said it was her neighbors' window AC unit hitting the ground, after being pushed out by them to escape the fire.

"They were coughing and everything. Kids are on the ground, crying and bleeding," she said.

Young then saw the mother dangling her infant daughter by her ankle from the second floor window.

"She was so scared and terrified –I was too– she was just asking, making sure I was able to catch the baby," Young continued. 

Running out of options and acting on sheer adrenaline, Young stood under the window and caught the child.

The mother and father soon followed, jumping from the second floor to safety.

"Dad was limping, mom was bleeding from a couple of different places, the baby was not crying – she was breathing and moving (but) was not making a sound," Young said.

The parents and the five kids, all about 10 years-old or younger, are safe. Those who suffered injuries were treated. 

On Sunday, when the father came back, Young was given an update.

"He said the two-month old did have a few broken bones, but that everyone is expected to recover fine," Young said. "They're going to need assistance so close to the holidays – all those kids."

A GoFundMe account has been created to help the family. 

The Detroit Fire Department has not yet determined the exact cause or origin of the house fire.