Two Youths Killed in Louisiana House Fire

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Two children died when fire engulfed a house, trapping them on the second floor, authorities said. A woman survived by leaping through an upstairs window.

Police identified the victims of Monday's fire only as a boy and a girl, ages 10 and 13, pending positive identification through dental records. The woman who came out of the second-story window was identified as Cheryl Jefferson, 46.

A neighbor, Henry Sterling, said he could not get into the house because of burglar bars on the first floor and blistering heat.

``You could hear them running around upstairs,'' Sterling said. ``I can still hear them. It sounded like they were running into stuff. I know the smoke was so thick. I'm surprised she made it through the window. I just wish the children could have followed.''

The Baton Rouge Fire Department said an overheated power cord attached to an air conditioner in a first-floor living room was believed to have ignited the fire.

Jefferson suffered moderate injuries in the fall, police said.