STONEHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - A fire in a home in Stoneham drew an emergency response on Thursday as at least one bystander jumped into action to try to save a man trapped inside, officials announced.
Calls reporting a fire on Main Street came in around 10 a.m. Neighbors told 7NEWS that the man, later rescued by first responder, is a paraplegic, adding that he had been stuck in a back bedroom as flames intensified.
“That was our first priority,” Stoneham Fire Captain James Marshall said of rescue efforts.
Firefighters used a ladder to get up to a first floor window, carrying the man out before he was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Officials said his condition was unknown as of Thursday afternoon.
Police Chief James McIntyre and Acting Fire Chief Dave Eastman said crews arrived on scene moments before the rescue to find smoke and an individual who officials said used a gun to try to get through a locked door at the house, where a man was trapped.
The person who used a gun, they continued, was licensed to carry a firearm and is not currently facing charges.
Officials said “cluttered conditions” in the home complicated their firefighting response.
Crews on scene were able to control the fire around 11 a.m.
Officials said the home is believed to be a total loss, displacing the family of four who lived inside.
The origin and cause of the fire, as well as the reported use of a gun in rescue efforts, remained under investigation as of Thursday.
McIntyre, in the meantime, noted in a statement “the outstanding work of all the emergency personnel” who responded to Thursday’s fire.
“From the dispatch personnel who simultaneously processed multiple 911 calls reporting the fire and dispatched crews to the scene, to the heroic actions of the fire and police department personnel who arrived on scene and rescued the victim, their teamwork and professionalism is something the Town of Stoneham should be proud of,” McIntyre said.
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