Lancaster City, Pennsylvania --

Heavy winds fueled a fire that destroyed a three-story apartment building in downtown Lancaster Sunday afternoon just before 2 p.m., sending eight people to area hospitals and leaving more than a dozen homeless.

The victims included a 9-month-old baby boy, who was caught in a blanket held taught by neighbors and passersby after he was thrown from a third-story window by his aunt. Other residents escaped the flames by jumping from second-story windows of the building due to the stairway being involved in fire.

It took city firefighters four hours to bring the general-alarm blaze under control along with volunteer firefighters from Lancaster Township, Air 6-6, Trucks from Lafayette and Eden Fire Companys and an engine from Southern Manheim Township, Engine 2-11-1. Stand-by companys filling the empty city stations were Lampeter Fire Company, Engine 5-4-3 and Willow Street Fire Company, Truck 5-12 in Station 3, Lancaster Township Fire Department, Engine 6-6-2 in Station 1.

The cause has not been determined, the fire is still under investigation. One of the homes was gutted and the other remained minimal damage with damage estimates at least of $150,000. The Red Cross is helping eleven families with food, clothing, and shelter.