SPARTANBURG, S.C. --
A pregnant woman and her 1- and 3-year-old children were rescued Thursday afternoon after their home caught on fire.
Spartanburg emergency services and police officers arrived at the house and found smoke coming from it and the occupants trapped inside. The officers broke a front window and were able to get the woman and her children out through the window before firefighters arrived.
The woman said she was cooking lunch and got distracted. Fire inspector Brad Hall said because there was no working fire detector in the house, the woman didn't realize a fire had started. Hall said the woman tried to put out the fire herself but could not. She tried to get out the front door, but because it was locked with a double-keyed deadbolt, and she didn't have the key with her, she couldn't get it open.
Firefighters arrived within minutes and were able to put out the fire quickly, saving most of the contents of the home.
The mother and children suffered mild smoke inhalation and were taken to Spartanburg Regional.
Fire officials said the fire serves as a reminder to check on smoke detectors and also to evaluate all of their door locks.
