Girls jump, drop from balcony to escape dance studio fire
EDGEWATER, N.J. — More than a dozen girls fled a second-story dance studio onto a balcony as a roaring fire engulfed their building, some dropping or jumping to the pavement as bystanders tried to rescue them with ladders.
The rescue efforts were captured in a video that shows the screaming children either falling into the arms of their rescuers or hitting the ground before being pulled away from the flames Monday night.
About 15 girls were treated for minor injuries, Mayor Michel Joseph McPartland said.
Ilker Kesiktas, who shot the video, said Tuesday that he grabbed a fire extinguisher when he saw flames climb the side of the row of businesses, including a restaurant he and his friends frequent, in Edgewater, a town on the Hudson River just north of New York City. His video was purchased by news outlets, including The Associated Press.