The Journal Times, Racine, Wisc.
(MCT)
Jul. 30—RACINE — Three anonymous bystanders may have saved a man’s life from a fire Saturday morning.
Before first responders could arrive after 7 a.m. Saturday on the 2000 block of Case Avenue on the south side, three people saw a man stuck on the second-floor balcony of a home, with heavy smoke already billowing out. Ryan Murphy, a witness, told a reporter in a message that the man was “covered in soot.”
The three passersby got a ladder and extended it up to the man, allowing him to climb down safely. When paramedics arrived, the man was taken away on a stretcher, Murphy said.
The Racine Fire Department, in a release, said “Heroic actions of three bystanders allowed for the rescue of the victim on the balcony, by extending a ladder to him and helping to bring him to safety.”
Engine 6 was the first RFD vehicle on scene. Firefighters reported forcing entry to an upper-level apartment, where “heavy fire was encountered. The fire was quickly extinguished and the rest of the apartment was checked for fire extension.”
The man suffered “significant injuries” and he was hospitalized, according to RFD.
Inside the home, firefighters reported there were no working smoke alarms. Tenants of the first floor apartment didn’t know about the fire until they were woken up by neighbors, the RFD said. “Always make sure you have working smoke alarms and test them monthly.”
