VENTURA : Couple, 2 Children Escape Condo Fire

A Ventura couple, trapped in their condominium by a fire Monday, saved their two young children by dropping them to safety from a second-floor window, a Ventura fire inspector said. The couple also leaped to safety, he said.

The fire at 1300 Saratoga Ave. was ignited by an electrical malfunction in the living room, Fire Inspector James Glew said. The four family members “were lucky they had their bedroom door closed,” he said. “If it wasn’t closed, the smoke would have got to them.”

Michael Haynes, 30, suffered cuts on his left foot after breaking a bedroom window and jumping to the ground, Glew said. Bridgett Denault, 21, then dropped two children, Devon, 2 1/2, and Erica, 10 months, to Haynes. Denault herself, four months pregnant, finally jumped to safety.

Damage to the four-unit complex was estimated at $75,000, Glew said.