May 20, 2013
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- Officials say a woman and an 8-year-old boy were killed in a Lakeland house fire.
The house was in flames when Lakeland firefighters arrived late Monday.
Authorities have not released the names of the people who died.
The Ledger of Lakeland (http://bit.ly/RtKcAB ) reports that neighbor Mark Mershon heard an explosion Monday night and saw flames coming from the house across the street. He and others knocked down a fence to get behind the house and reached inside a window to help a man, woman and children get out.
When flames got more intense, Mershon told the newspaper they had to back off.
The state fire marshal's office is investigating.
Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com
AP-WF-10-30-12 2133GMT
