Two women jumped from the second-floor balcony of a duplex and onto rooftop next door Tuesday morning to escape a burning Newport Beach home.
Firefighters knocked down the fire at about 5:30 a.m. at a two-story dwelling at 309 34th Street, Newport Beach Fire Department officials said. The fire started at 4:14 a.m. on the structure's second floor.
Abby Pearose said screams and cries for help woke him up when the flames erupted.
"As soon as we were running out, all the windows were popping upstairs," Pearose said. "It felt like the house was going to blow."
He and his neighbors ran out barefoot to escape.
At least one of two victims who jumped from the balcony suffered an ankle and back injury. Details regarding the other victim's injuries were not immediately available.
The fire likely started when a Christmas tree in a second-floor unit burned, possibly because it was too close to a fireplace, according to fire officials.
"The sparks caught the Christmas tree on fire and it went up in seconds," neighbor Scott Torrellas said. "That's why some people had to jump."
Oleevia Woo contributed to this report.
