7 injured in fire at Bascom home

BASCOM, Ohio -- A family of seven -- including five young children -- was taken to a local hospital after suffering injuries during a fire at their Seneca County home.

The fire in Bascom was reported at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday at 684 N. Ash St., said Shane Cartmill, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Mr. Cartmill did not have the names of the victims. The man who lived in the home, who authorities believe is the father, suffered the most serious injuries and remained in the hospital Wednesday night.

The five children who were taken to a hospital range in age from 6 months to 15 years, Mr. Cartmill said. Three were able to escape the fire on their own; the father jumped from a second-story balcony, Mr. Cartmill said.

About the same time the man jumped, a neighbor came with a ladder to help a woman and two children out of the home.

Mr. Cartmill said the fire appears to have started in the kitchen, where a burner on the electric stove was left on.

The home did have working smoke detectors, which probably saved the family, Mr. Cartmill said.