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2 residents jump to escape burning home on Balboa Peninsula

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Two residents jumped from the second floor of a Newport Beach home Tuesday morning to escape a two-alarm blaze that tore through a two-story duplex, fire officials said.

Units from the Newport Beach Fire Department responded about 4:15 a.m. to the 300 block of 34th Street on Balboa Peninsula, where smoke and flames were pouring from the second story, the Fire Department said.

A man and a woman had already jumped to the ground, authorities said. Paramedics treated them both at the scene and then took them to a local hospital.

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Asst. Fire Chief Kevin Kitch said the man injured his ankle but otherwise did not know the extent of their injuries.

About 45 firefighters from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach controlled the fire in about an hour and 15 minutes, according to authorities. No firefighters were injured.

Because the blaze had been burning very hot for an extended period of time, crews only attacked the flames from outside the duplex for fears that parts of the building could collapse, Kitch said.

“It was pretty challenging because of the extent of the fire and it was hidden into some portions of the upper story of the structure,” he said.

Investigators are trying to determine what started the blaze. Officials estimated damage to the building and contents at $1.5 million to $2 million.

The flames also affected the wood siding on an adjacent home.

Six people, including residents of the duplex and nearby homes, have been displaced by the blaze, fire officials said. The American Red Cross is assisting them.

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