READING, MASS. (WHDH) - Two people were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being found unconscious in a burning apartment in Reading early Monday morning.
Firefighters responding to a reported fire at 1 High St. around 3:30 a.m. found flames shooting from the windows of a third-floor apartment in the rear of the building.
Crews rushed into the building and found one victim by the door and a second further inside, according to Reading Fire Chief Gregory Burns.
Emergency personnel performed CPR on the two unconscious victims before transporting them to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. They were later taken to a Boston hospital, where their current conditions have not been released.
The remaining residents inside the 12-unit building were evacuated as firefighters extinguished the four-alarm blaze.
“They started banging on the doors and smoke started coming in when they opened the door and they’re like, ‘Get out get out get out!'” resident Ron Steenbruggen recalled.
The American Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Update from Fire Chief about Reading Fire: 2 people transported to the hospital with life threatening injuries. @7News pic.twitter.com/BFCoOiZ0OC
— Kerri Corrado (@KerriCorrado) February 24, 2020
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)