He said a civilian “was also transported with smoke inhalation and is also currently stable.”
Shortly after noon, heavy flames and smoke were seen blazing from the three-story building, according to radio reports.
Firefighters entered the building and worked their way through smoke and flames to the third floor to control the fire from the inside. But after a few minutes, holes began to appear in the floor and the commander became concerned about the safety of the firefighters.
He ordered the firefighters to leave the third floor, but one could not be found.
“A member is missing on the third floor!” said a firefighter and called a search party for help.
After the missing crew member was found, firefighters were instructed to exit the building and continue fighting the fire from the outside.
Shortly before 2 p.m., thick smoke rose into the sky. Firefighters extinguished the building with hoses and nearby streets were closed to traffic. Some firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.
Oscar Ola stood in front of the burning house with a friend. Both have relatives and friends who live in the building.
“I don’t know what to say or think,” said Ola. “This is crazy.”
Ola’s friend, who introduced himself as Joe, said his brother lived in the building with several pets, including four dogs and a cat. Two of the dogs were only a few weeks old, Joe said, and as far as he knew, they didn’t make it.
Lok Lamicchane lives down the street and said he saw smoke rising from the house when the fire started.
“When I was sitting in my car, I saw smoke coming from the second floor and fire,” he said. “It was so smoky up in the sky.”
According to city assessment documents, the 4,500-square-foot apartment building has eight units and is currently valued at $870,700.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Charron said.
“We ended up having to leave the building for safety reasons and then use hoses to put out the fire from the outside. Then we went back in to get everything back in order,” the chief said. “It was very labor-intensive and time-consuming, and that’s why we had to set off as many alarms as we could to the people up here.”
Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected]. John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobeYou can reach Sabrina Lam at [email protected].
