LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) _ Officials say one person died and others were injured when fire broke out in a house in Lakeland.
The house was in flames when Lakeland firefighters arrived late Monday.
Authorities have not released the identity of the person who died.
They also did not specify how many people were taken to the hospital.
The Ledger of Lakeland (http://bit.ly/RtKcAB ) reported 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.
