Rookie Fall River Firefighter Saves Woman From Fire
FALL RIVER (CBS) -- Glenn Eddington will never forget his first day as a Fall River firefighter. A week after graduating Eddington started on the force and was called to a fire on Slade Street. What appears to be a cigarette fire spread through the multi-unit building sending residents outside.
Mike Ferrara saw police help some people out, and others were able to escape on their own. But one 80-year-old woman was stuck inside.
"The elderly woman lived on the second floor, but when she went to the stairwell to escape, it was engulfed in flames. The only place for her to go was up, to the top, which is where she ended up trapped," said Ferrara.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager reports.
Eddington went in, but couldn't see his hand in front of his face. There was black smoke and as he scanned a room, he could see that there was fire on the floor.
He was armed with a heat-seeking device when he went in, though, and says he was lucky to be carrying it.
"I actually seen the outline of the body perfectly," he said. "When I finally saw that image, my heart did skip a beat."
Eddington said all he had ever hoped was to make a difference in at least one person's life. He didn't know it was going to be on his first day on the job.
Eddington and two other firefighters carried the elderly woman out. Now he hopes she pulls through, as she's in critical condition.
