OCEAN ISLE BEACH, North Carolina --

Fire ravaged a beach house occupied by more than a dozen people, most of them college students, killing seven early Sunday and sending several more to a hospital, authorities said.

Six survivors were released after treatment, Mayor Debbie Smith said; one had jumped from the burning house and into a waterway. Officials had accounted for everyone believed to be inside the home, Smith said.

"There were three kids sitting on the ground screaming," said newspaper deliverer Tim Burns, who called the emergency dispatcher after seeing a column of smoke rising from the house. "There was one guy hanging out the window, and he jumped in the canal. I know he got out because he was yelling for a girl to follow him."

Burns said he didn't know whether that girl was able to escape.

Most of the people inside the house were students at the University of South Carolina, although Smith said one may have attended Clemson University.

The house was being used by the owner's daughter and a group of her friends, the mayor said.

"Nothing like this has ever happened at Ocean Isle Beach," Smith said.

The fire struck the house on Scotland Street sometime before 7 a.m. and burned completely through the first and second floors, leaving only part of the frame standing.

"We ran down the street to get away," said Nick Cain, a student at the University of North Carolina who was staying at a house about 100 feet (30 meters) away. "The ash and the smoke were coming down on us. We were just trying to get away."

Burns said he had to fight to keep several of those who escaped from the fire from going back inside to try to rescue their friends. When he approached the front door, he said, it was too hot to open.

"When I was going up to the entryway, you could hear the windows above me explode," Burns said. "When I knew the flames had taken over, I don't think I've ever felt as helpless in my life."

The waterfront house was built on stilts, and firefighters had to climb a ladder to reach the first living floor.

"I heard somebody hollering 'help.' It was real strong," said neighbor Nell Blanton. "But they were making so much noise last night, I thought they were playing around."

The house had working smoke detectors but no sprinklers, Smith said. It could be a day or more before investigators pinpoint the cause of the blaze, said Randy Thompson, Brunswick County's emergency services director.

Authorities erected a blue tarp to block the view of the fire scene, but neighbor Bob Alexander said he saw investigators removing bodies.