Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang says it appears the man and woman had gone into the boy's room to rescue him and try to climb through a window after the pre-dawn fire broke out Wednesday. He tells WFIE-TV that investigators believe the fire started in a clogged dryer vent in the upstairs apartment of the two-story house.
Hochgesang tells The Herald that the downstairs residents were able to safely escape in the city about 50 miles northeast of Evansville. The fire caused heavy smoke to pour from the upstairs windows.