Children jump from balcony as fire rips through dance studio in Edgewater
EDGEWATER, New Jersey (WABC) -- A group of children managed to escape when fire ripped through a dance studio in New Jersey Monday night.
The fire broke out at a complex on River Road in Edgewater and spread to the studio where the kids were rehearsing.
Trapped on a balcony with the fire closing in, the children first started throwing clothes and backpacks from the balcony as adults below scrambled to get ladders.
The children started to climb over the railing, but realized quickly the ladders were too short.
The first hung down and barely reached the ladder below with his feet, but managed to find it and climb down to safety.
But others could not reach the ladder and started to drop. The first made it to the ladder but the others, desperate to escape, just dropped to the ground.
Remarkably, there were no serious injuries.
"Our first responders here, everyone, did a wonderful job getting those kids out, getting the building evacuated and getting the fire contained," said Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland.
The fire sent smoke in the air that could be seen for miles.
Flames quickly burned through the building that housed a car wash, restaurant and the dance studio.
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