Seven Dead In Blaze

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) -- The dean of students at the University of South Carolina says "it's a very sad day."<br/><br/>Six students from the school in Columbia and one from Clemson died when

Sunday, October 28th 2007, 2:57 pm

By: News On 6

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) -- The dean of students at the University of South Carolina says "it's a very sad day."

Six students from the school in Columbia and one from Clemson died when an early Sunday fire ravaged a beach house in North Carolina.

More than a dozen college students were inside the house. Officials say six people survived, including one who jumped from the burning home and into a waterway. The survivors were treated at a hospital and released.

The fire struck the house sometime before 7 a.m. and burned completely through the first and second floors, leaving only part of the home's frame standing. The waterfront home was built on stilts, forcing firefighters to climb a ladder onto the house's deck to reach the first living floor.