Kids saved from burning Rotterdam apartment

Firefighters and local residents rescued three children from a burning apartment on Grienderwaard in Rotterdam-IJsselmonde on Thursday night. The children suffered minor burns and were taken to hospital for treatment, AD reports.

The fire brigade responded to the third floor apartment just before 8:30 p.m. Three children, aged 2, 12 and 14 years, were home alone when the fire started. Bystanders managed to get them all outside safely. The toddler was thrown from a window onto a nearby balcony by his older brothers. According to the fire department, they did the right thing there.

The fire was extinguished by 9:00 p.m. Surrounding apartments were evacuated due to the smoke. The residents were allowed to go back home around 10:30 p.m.

The police tracked down the kids' mother elsewhere in the neighborhood and told her what happened. The cause of the fire is not yet known, the police are investigating.