Two Billerica paramedics out on a hospital run turned into an impromptu rescue crew early Friday, helping six people escape a burning second-floor apartment in Lowell. Around 3:30 a.m., Enrick "Nick" Nuttoli and Danika Connors were driving back from Lowell General Hospital when they spotted flames licking out of the upper floor of a home on School Street. They pulled over, ran to the building, and started pounding on doors and windows until the startled residents woke up and got out.
Paramedics roused sleeping residents and alerted crews
According to WCVB, the pair immediately called in what they were seeing, and dispatch relayed the emergency to the Lowell Fire Department. With sirens still on the way, both paramedics left their vehicle and kept banging and shouting until everyone inside had made it out and been accounted for. Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost told WCVB that their fast reaction and calm under pressure “exemplify professionalism, awareness and a commitment to protecting life.”
Billerica EMS often works beyond town lines
Billerica's Emergency Medical Services operates as a division of the police department, which staffs paramedics and runs ambulances around the clock. That setup keeps crews moving between local calls and regional hospitals, according to the Billerica Police Department. It was that routine hospital transfer that put Nuttoli and Connors on the Lowell streets just as the fire broke out.
No injuries reported as officials praised quick action
All six residents made it out safely, with no injuries reported. As of WCVB's latest update, officials had not yet released a cause of the fire. Local leaders have been quick to credit the paramedics' quick thinking and refusal to simply drive past, saying their actions likely prevented a far more tragic outcome.
