Police, firefighters rescue elderly woman from four-alarm fire on Cape
An elderly Hyannis woman was rescued Monday night by two police officers and two firefighters who braved intense flames and smoke to pull her out of her burning apartment, officials said.
Helen Levesque, 84, was Medflighted to an undisclosed Boston hospital, where she was being treated for burns over 80 percent of her body, officials said. Her condition was not released.
An investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office and the Hyannis Fire Department indicated the four-alarm fire was caused by Halloween decorations on Levesque’s deck. Officials are investigating what ignited the bales of hay and clothing, which were part of the decorative display, according to a statement from the Department of Fire Services.
According to Barnstable police and Hyannis fire officials, the fire broke out in the woman’s third-floor unit in the 290 West Main St. apartment complex around 11:18 p.m.
At the time, Barnstable Deputy Chief Craig Tamash and Mashpee Officer James Dorman were on road construction detail nearby and rushed into the 110-unit complex in Hyannis after hearing that the fire department was responding to a possible fire, officials said.
“People were yelling at us that there was somebody trapped in the apartment,’’ Tamash said.
The officers ran to the third floor of the over-55 apartments and alerted residents to the danger, while also trying to enter the unit where the fire had apparently started.
“Every time they tried pushing the door open, it would push back,’’ said Barnstable Police Sergeant Sean Sweeney, a department spokesman. “They couldn’t get the door open because the woman passed out and was unconscious up against the door.’’
He added, “They could only get the door open about 6 inches, and then black smoke would billow out.’’
As the smoke thickened in the hallway, the officers focused on getting other residents out. As the officers and other residents were heading downstairs, Hyannis Fire Captain Eric Kristofferson and Firefighter Nathaniel Coughlan were coming upstairs, carrying a fire hose.
“They could hear someone moaning behind the door,’’ said Hyannis Fire Captain William Rex. “They went in and made the rescue. … Those guys did a hell of a job.’’
The two firefighters carried the injured woman down three flights of stairs and to a waiting ambulance. She was stabilized at Cape Cod Hospital before being transported to Boston.
“We tried [to rescue her] and got beaten back,’’ Tamash said. “And they’re the ones that got her out. … A lot of the credit goes to the Hyannis Fire Department.’’
Both police officers were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for treatment of exposure to smoke. Five civilians were also taken to the hospital for evaluation, according to officials.
At least 14 units in the development are now uninhabitable due to fire, smoke and water damage, Rex said. The estimated damage is between $800,000 and $1 million.
He said the complex did not have sprinklers, having been built before they were required. The building’s automatically-closing fire doors helped to prevent the spread of smoke in the building, giving residents time to get out, officials said.
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