Most of the 15 international students who were in the rented house when it started burning are on their way home to china tonight. The red cross is helping the few who are still in town.
Distance was a big problem for Lansing firefighters. Firefighters had to run two or three times as much hose as they normally would which means it took them longer to put the fire out.
"We were kind of behind the eight ball trying to get a water supply because of the distance back from the last hydrant out on the road..About a quarter of water supply we had to lay so that we could actually have water to fight the fire," said Lansing Fire Lt. Doug Burke.
With ten students still trapped in the house and the closest fire hydrant almost half a mile up the road firefighters had to work fast.
Five students escaped before firefighters arrived. All of them eventually got out unharmed. The only injury was a broken nose a firefighter got when the hose hit him in the face.
The students were in town for a conference at MSU. None of the students spoke English, creating a language barrier the red cross had to work through.
"Almost every person I spoke to was very, very thankful and grateful that we were able to be there...And I think they were surprised by just how helpful these different agencies could be in helping them since they were visiting here," said Red Cross Volunteer, Chelsea Lambert.
The students were packed and ready to go home today,so they were able to grab their suitcases on the way out the door and escape without losing anything.
Investigators tell us the fire started on the roof. They haven't figured out exactly what caused it. We'll let you know if they narrow it down.
