NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — One person suffered serious injuries in a fire Monday morning in New Bedford.
Firefighters responding to the multi-family home on Tremont Street around 7:15 a.m. arrived to find flames coming from the top floor.
“We actually received 911 calls from people who were trapped inside the third floor here,” New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said.
District Chief Scott Gomes was able to rescue a man from the stairwell on his own before fire trucks arrived, according to Kruger.
Additional crews then rescued another man from the front third-floor window using the truck’s ladder.
An elderly woman who uses a wheelchair was also rescued after she couldn’t escape on her own. Kruger said she was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
“There were some amount of working smoke detectors in the building. We’re trying to figure out which ones were working,” the chief added.
The American Red Cross was called in to assist about half a dozen people who were displaced.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.