ROCKLAND, MASS. (WHDH) - Crews rescued an unconscious woman from a mixed-use building in Rockland as a five-alarm fire ripped through the structure early Thursday morning.
Three firefighters and multiple police officers responding to a building fire at 20 East Water St. just before 12:30 a.m. rescued an unconscious woman from the third floor after noticing heavy smoke showing in the rear of the building, according to Rockland Fire Chief Scott Duffey.
The woman, who fire officials say regained consciousness in the ambulance, was transported to South Shore Hospital. She is expected to be OK. Her name has not been released.
The Rockland Fire Department was short on manpower at the time of the fire, so firefighters initially went to an exterior attack, Duffey said.
Once mutual aid assistance arrived from 12 communities, they transitioned to an interior attack.
“It was a lot of hard work, a lot of interior work and a lot of grunt work opening up the ceilings,” Duffey recalled. “It’s a cold night and they’re all wet. Incredible job by all crew who worked on the scene.”
No firefighters were injured and Duffey added that all residents have been accounted for.
The American Red Cross says they’re assisting more than 20 displaced residents.
The three-story building, which houses multiple residential units and commercial property in the front of the first floor, is not a total loss, according to Duffey.
Initial reports indicate that the fire started in the kitchen on the second floor.
The cause remains under investigation.
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