Older woman seriously injured in New Bedford fire
The fire, which was extinguished within a half hour, displaced six people from the three-family home.
An older woman was seriously injured and two other people were rescued after being trapped in a house fire in New Bedford Monday, officials said.
At 7:16 a.m., the fire department received a 911 call from three people trapped on the third floor of a burning house, officials said. Fire crews rushed up a back stairway to rescue an older man, while another man climbed out a window onto a small roof and was rescued by ladder. Firefighters rescued an older woman in a wheelchair, the third person trapped inside, by carrying her down the back stairway, officials said. Lt. Steven Torres used his protective gear to shield her from the heat, officials said.
The woman was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital and transferred to the trauma center at Rhode Island Hospital for a higher level of care, officials said. She was in serious condition. The fire, which was extinguished within a half hour, displaced six people from the three-family home. They are being helped by the American Red Cross. “Investigators believe the fire began in a third-floor bedroom and we found no working smoke alarms in that unit,” New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said in a statement. There is no evidence the fire was set intentionally, officials said.
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