A house fire on Presbyterian Street in Ridgeway left one person dead and two others injured, including a neighbor who ran into the burning home trying to save someone trapped inside and ended up catching fire himself. The blaze broke out Thursday night at 12625 Presbyterian Street, sending flames through the windows, roof and front porch before crews could get it under control.
The Orleans County Sheriff's 911 Center received multiple calls reporting a working house fire with two people trapped at the address at 8:28 p.m. Thursday, according to videonewsservice.net. When Ridgeway firefighters arrived, they found a working fire and two victims already at the scene, the outlet reported.
One of those victims, a resident of the house, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester with injuries, per Orleans Hub. As that person was being helped out, a neighbor from across the street became aware of the fire, ran over and went inside the burning house in an attempt to rescue the remaining person trapped inside, according to the same videonewsservice.net report.
Neighbor Caught Fire While Trying to Help
Heavy fire and smoke conditions forced the neighbor back out of the house, and he was on fire himself as he exited, the report states. He had to roll on the ground and receive help from other people in the front yard to put the flames out before he was flown by Mercy Flight to Strong Hospital, joining the first victim there.
A third victim was found on the first floor of the residence, already deceased, according to the videonewsservice.net account.
Crews Battled Flames for Hours
The fire shot out of windows, the roof and the front porch, and it took crews several hours to bring it under control, Orleans Hub reported. The Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company responded to the scene with automatic mutual aid from multiple agencies. The Orleans County Coroner's Office also responded to the scene, per the same outlet.
As of Friday, the cause and origin of the fire remained under investigation, according to the videonewsservice.net report. Officials said further details and the names of the victims would be released when appropriate, the outlet noted. Newport Dispatch also reported on the blaze, which left one person dead and two injured on Presbyterian Street.
