March 31--TAMPA -- Lisa Washington awoke early Friday to banging at her door. Then she heard the woman screaming.
"She was screaming and she was hollering: 'Help me! Help me! Help me! My children are in the house," Washington said.
Fire and smoke had engulfed the home at 3613 Diana St. E. Kimberly Mack had escaped the fire with her 6-year-old son, Chazmaine Small.
Firefighters from Tampa Fire Rescue broke into the house about 6 a.m. and pulled two children to safety. They were identified as 18-month-old Ja-niyah Grant and Elijah Small, 5. The children were taken to Tampa General Hospital, where they were listed in critical condition, police said.
Mack, who had minor burns, also was taken to Tampa General. Chazmaine wasn't injured, police said.
The fire remains under investigation, said Andrea Davis, a Tampa Police Department spokeswoman.
The rental house didn't have electricity, officials said.
The previous tenant got a final meter reading in mid-February and closed their Tampa Electric Co. account at that time, said Cherie Jacobs, a TECO spokeswoman.
The home had electricity until Wednesday. It was turned off because no customer had requested service at that address, Jacobs said.
"After six weeks with no new customer, we did shut it off," Jacobs said.
Mack, 25, moved into the rental home Feb. 1, Washington said.
On Thursday night, Washington saw the children playing in the front yard.
"This morning we woke up to a fire," Washington said. "It's terrible. I'm just praying they make it."
"It's sad," she said. "I've never seen anything like that. I've never experienced anything like that."
The home didn't have smoke detectors, Davis said.
"It's an important reminder that people need to have working smoke detectors in their homes," Davis said. "Had there been working smoke detectors, everyone possibly would have been alerted in time to get out of the house."
The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office website identifies Elma C. Bodie as the owner of the property. She could not be reached for comment late Friday.
Washington said the incident has weighed on her.
"I was in tears," Washington said. "I was crying. I was just thinking about my grandkids."
"I couldn't even imagine that happening" to us, Washington said.
Copyright 2012 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.
