CINCINNATI -- A moment playing outside turned out to be potentially life-saving for six kids at a West Price Hill in-home day care.
Cincinnati firefighters were called to the house on Shirley Place near Western Hills High School just after noon Monday; some neighbors said they saw the flames from their homes.
"We seen fire coming out of the end of the house -- a lot of black smoke, so you could tell that house was probably damaged," said Lynn Withrow.
Stephanie Castleman, the homeowner, also runs a day care out of her house; luckily, she said, all the children, ages 2 to 10, were outside when the fire started.
"My baby sleeps upstairs, and he usually takes a nap at this time," Castleman said.
District 2 Cincinnati Fire Chief Dan Merz said one of the children on a swing noticed smoke coming from the second floor. Castleman and the kids went across the street.
"I called my husband 'cause my neighbor was out front screaming, and she called the cops," she said.
Firefighters contained the flames to the home's second floor and attic, in spite of some minor issues with a broken fire hydrant. No one was injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
