Police Officers Pull Elderly Man From Burning Fitchburg Home
FITCHBURG (CBS) – Two police officers rushed into a burning Fitchburg home Saturday morning to rescue an elderly man who was trapped by significant fire.
With flames shooting from a single-family home on 79 Holman St. at around 10 a.m., two veteran police officers patrolling the area heard an unidentified man believed to be in his 80s screaming for help.
The man's wife escaped the fire, but her husband became trapped.
After arriving at the home, the two officers reached the man and pulled him out a window.
Both officers were taken to Leominster Health-Alliance, where they were treated for smoke inhalation and released.
The elderly man was transported to UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester. He is in critical condition.
Firefighters suspect the flames started due to an electrical issue and said it is not considered suspicious, though the investigation is ongoing.
"I am very proud of the lifesaving work these two officers did today, and hoping the victim can recover fully," said Police Chief Ernest Martineau, who did not identify the officers but said they both also have military backgrounds.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Fitchburg Fire Department praised the quick acting officers.
"The two officers defiantly risked their own lives to save another," the fire department said.
