A fire Tuesday night destroyed eight units at an apartment building near the University of South Florida in Tampa.

  • Firefighters responded to 2-alarm fire near USF
  • Flames were isolated to a single building
  • 20 families have been displaced because of the fire  

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and Tampa Fire Rescue responded to the fire at the Cordova Homes. According to reports, the complex is made of wood frame construction  -- which burns hot and fast.

So fast, in fact, that a mother and her son had to jump out of a window to escape.

"My mom told me that there was a fire,” recalled Mohammad Juthy.  “So, she told us to jump because there was nowhere else to jump from or go somewhere."

Mohammad said his mother was taken to the hospital. They're one of nearly two dozen families -- consisting of one infant, two toddlers, three teens and 14 adults -- who have been evacuated because of the fire.

The flames were reportedly isolated to a single building. Red Cross is offering assistance to all who were impacted.