AKRON, Ohio — Seven people, including five children, escaped injury Monday night in a house fire just north of downtown.

However, the Akron Fire Department reports the blaze caused heavy damage to the two-story home on the 100 block of South Maple Street, just east of Glendale Cemetery.

The fire started in a bedroom on the second floor of the home at about 8:53 p.m., according to the fire department spokeswoman Lt. Sierje Lash. The two adults and five children, ages 4 to 13, were out of the home by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters had to pull down the ceilings on the first and second floors to put out the blaze. They also tried to save the family’s Christmas presents, Lash says.

Lash did not say if the cause of the fire is known.

The Red Cross is assisting the family, Lash says.

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