Fire Rips Through Rancho Cordova Apartment

RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) – A grandmother helped her grandchildren jump from a second story window to escape a rapidly spreading fire that left a woman injured Wednesday evening.

Margaret Moutan said she and her three grandchildren, a 7-year-old girl and two 6-year-old twins, were quickly trapped on the balcony of her apartment at 10556 Redburn Lane after a lit candle apparently sparked the blaze.

"I was not going to let them stay on that balcony, because that fire was coming our way," Moutan said.

Another neighbor, Nicole Rhodes, ran beneath their balcony and helped bring the children down safely from the 15 foot drop.

"I just stood underneath and caught them," Rhodes said.

The kids reached the ground safely, and Sacramento Metro firefighters soon arrived and helped contain the fire while Moutan was rescued via a ladder. Another woman in a neighboring unit also had to be rescued and was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

The Red Cross said is is helping find emergency lodging for three families who are homeless after the fire. In all, 11 people were displaced because of the blaze. Sac Metro estimated the damage at $200,000.