SALEM, Oregon — An apartment fire in Salem early Monday morning sent four people to the hospital, one in critical condition.
Crews were called at about 3:45 a.m. to the 4000 block of Satter Drive NE, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Both a downstairs and an upstairs apartment were fully engulfed in flames. A total of eight units were damaged.
Crews were able to rescue a critically injured 58-year-old woman from the lower unit.
Three other people were sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Three deputies who responded were treated at the scene, also for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters say oxygen tanks in the lower apartment fed the fire and exploded.
The Romero family lived in the upstairs apartment that was destroyed by fire, along with all their possessions.
Liliana Romero was relieved they got out. She said her children, ages 3 and 4, were in a crib that caught fire, but she and her husband were able to rescue the children and they all got out of the apartment safely.
"We didn’t know. We were sleeping and some people started kicking the door and helping us out getting out," Romero said. "I threw my kids because their crib was on fire and [I was] trying to save their life."
Lancaster Drive was closed for several hours during the fire.