State troopers go back for elderly man during high-rise fire in Revere

Two state troopers went back into a 3-alarm, high-rise fire after learning an elderly man was still inside the building, officials say.

The fire engulfed a deck on the 11th floor of the apartment building at 370 Ocean Avenue, according to Revere Fire Chief Christopher Bright.

“That whole deck was on fire, contained mostly to the outside of the building. People were trapped across the hall, right in that window to the left, that balcony, I should say,” Bright said to The Boston Globe.

A total of four state troopers entered the building, with two of them receiving treatment for smoke inhalation at Whidden Hospital, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The troopers cleared floors 9-15 before they learned an elderly man on oxygen remained inside the building. They went back into the building, and the man was later found and brought out.

Bright said the time of day and the direction the wind was blowing worked in the fire department’s favor.

A resident interviewed by WCVB said she opened her door — after being woken up by knocks from emergency services — to see fire in the hallway.

Bright said firefighters went into a unit and took out trapped residents. There were no reports of serious injury according to Bright.

Naomy Chavez, 13, told the Globe she didn’t think there was an emergency at first because the fire alarms in the buildings frequently sound when there isn’t a fire.

“And then like a few minutes later, broken pieces were falling down on our porch and that’s when we ran out because my mom saw that it was burnt,” said Chavez.

Fire crews from Massport Fire Rescue and Boston, Malden, Chelsea, and Everett departments assisted with the fire. Cataldo Ambulance Service helped as well.