MIAMI --
A husband and wife injured during an apartment fire early Saturday morning say they were forced to jump from the second story window to survive.
Pierre Jean-Louis and his wife were still wearing their hospital gowns when they returned to their Wynwood apartment Saturday afternoon.
I jumped downstairs, thats why my back is broken, said Jean-Louis, describing an injury to his back. His wife cut her head during the jump.
The explosion, followed by a fire, originated inside Jean-Louis apartment at 4:40 AM Saturday.
His grown daughter and a nephew were severely burned on their faces and hands during the blaze. A family friend was also injured.
A sixth person who lived in another apartment was also taken to the hospital.
The entire building at 3333 NW 5th Avenue is off limits to residents until inspectors say it is safe to return.
Roughly 50 people needed temporary housing.
The cause of the blaze has not been determined but fire officials say they are checking the gas lines used for the stoves.
Firefighters pulled up to find flames shooting from a corner apartment.
They were screaming, said Charles Logan who lives in Apartment 2.
Ranging from the ages of 20 to 45, injuries from severe burns to minor burns and even people jumping from the second floor of their apartment, said Lt. Ignatius Carroll with Miami Fire Rescue.
The six injured residents were rushed to the hospital while crews extinguished the fire in just 25 minutes. Firefighters credit the alarm for making a big difference in getting residents out of the building.
They had early warning and were able to evacuate. If not we would have had more injuries and even tragedies, said Carroll.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
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