Rockford firefighters rescue man from burning home

Rockford firefighters rescued a man hanging out of a second-floor window of a burning residence Monday afternoon.

Firefighters responded about 4:25 p.m. to 317 Howard Ave. after neighboring residents reported smoke coming from the two-story house as well as an elderly man being trapped in the building on the second floor.

According to the Rockford Fire Department, firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke showing from the first and second floor as well a man hanging out of the second floor window.

The next arriving companies deployed a ladder to rescue the man while other crews forced entry through the locked first-floor doors. The fire was extinguished while other crews pushed their way to the second floor to aid in the rescue. The man was located and brought outside to a waiting ambulance.

The man was stabilized and transported to UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital. The extent of his injuries was not available.

No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Chris Green is a Rockford Register Star general assignment reporter. He can be reached at 815-987-1241, via email at cgreen@rrstar.com, and X @chrisfgreen