A harrowing scene unfolded in Everett, Massachusetts, early this morning as a multi-alarm fire engulfed a three-story building. Firefighters dispatched to the blaze at approximately 8 a.m. managed to rescue a 3-year-old girl from the third floor of the structure located at Hancock and Tappan streets, as reported by NBC Boston. The toddler, alongside the firefighter who saved her, were promptly taken to Boston Children's Hospital with injuries that are expected to not be life-threatening.
The situation could have had a bleaker outcome if not for the quick-thinking actions of Everett Department of Public Works employees Jesse Winocour and Jason Papa. The pair were the first to arrive on the scene, having spotted smoke while driving by. "We were driving down the street. We saw the smoke, I told him, 'stop the truck,'" Winocour recalled in a statement obtained by WCVB. They entered the building, rapidly knocking on doors to alert the residents. However, due to the intense smoke and flames, they were unable to reach the child on the top floor.
Once the firefighters took over, a mayday call was issued by one who was initially disoriented after retrieving the 3-year-old girl. "I have a baby in my arms on the third. I'm lost. I don't know where I'm at," the firefighter communicated over the radio, as reported by WCVB. The mayday was soon retracted after the firefighter found his way out with the child.
The emergency response was swift, with various fire and emergency vehicles arriving at the scene, as aerial footage showed according to NBC Boston. The quick evacuation efforts spearheaded by Winocour and Papa were critical, allowing firefighters to focus on extinguishing the fire and carrying out rescue operations. "She was lifeless, but he ran down the street with her," Papa told WCVB concerning the firefighter's actions.
Many residents like Sueli Decarney were displaced due to the fire, losing all of their belongings. Decarney expressed her distress to WCVB, stating, "I live on the first floor, and I woke up this morning with somebody banging loudly on my door." With the incident occurring just a day before July 4th, Decarney described the experience as "just awful." Currently, investigators are diligently working to determine the cause of the fire, which fire officials told NBC Boston does not seem to have been started suspiciously.
