Fire destroys Raleigh townhome, sends 3 to the hospital

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A fire at a townhome in Raleigh early Saturday morning sent three people to the hospital, one of them with serious injuries related to the fire, Raleigh Fire confirmed to ABC11.

RFD Chief Preston Gaster said they received reports that a person jumped from the second story of the townhome to escape the flames.

A man who lives across the street, Yang Song, said he was woken up by screaming around 3:30 a.m.

"One lady I know jumped from that window," Song said, as he pointed to an open window with no screen on the second floor of the townhome. "It was horrible, it's like a nightmare. I just really hope they're doing okay."

ALSO SEE: Space heater safety tips: Experts explain how to properly use them this winter

Song said he brought the woman blankets as temperatures hovered in the low 30s.

The two townhomes on either side of the initial fire on the 5900 block of Hourglass Court also sustained damage. It took roughly 60 firefighters around two and a half hours to fully contain the blaze. At least five cars parked near and inside the townhomes were also damaged.

Fire investigators were at the scene to start trying to narrow down the cause of the fire. While it's too early for them to determine the cause, Chief Gaster said the top two causes of fires in Raleigh continue to be unattended cooking and improperly discarded smoking materials.

To learn more about fire prevention, click here.