Elderly Couple Escapes House Fire in New Baltimore

This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

New Baltimore emergency responders helped an elderly couple escape their burning house Wednesday afternoon at the 5100 block of Bedford, police and fire officials said.

By 3 p.m. , with help from and Ira firefighters, had put out the blaze.

The fire started about 1:35 p.m. when a lit cigarette prompted an oxygen tank explosion, igniting flames that likely destroyed the home, Chief Tim Wiley said.

The couple did not have any known injuries. However, they were to be evaluated for smoke inhalation, Wiley said.

"It looks like everybody is going to be OK," he said.

While dozens of firefighters worked outside the ranch-style house on the small street, the couple tried to calm down inside a neighbor's house. They declined comment for this story.

Crews had to open up the roof and smash in windows to fight the flames.

"We did a rapid knockdown," New Baltimore Fire Chief Ken Lawfield said. "The fire had worked its way into the structure."