Operations & Training

FFs Returning from Training Rescue Man from PA Fire

May 24, 2023

Harrisburg firefighters spotted the fire when they pulled into the fire station and arrived to rescue a man over a ladder.

By Jonathan Bergmueller

Source pennlive.com

Harrisburg firefighters rescued one person from a fire they spotted as they returned to the fire station.

First responders rescued a man from the second story of his Harrisburg home that became engulfed in flames Monday night.

Firefighters returning from a nighttime training session saw the flames as they were pulling into the station and placed the call to 911 dispatch themselves before arriving on scene a minute later.

The fire started in the first-floor kitchen at the back of the residence in the 600 block of Muench Street around 10:15 p.m., according to Harrisburg Bureau of Fire Chief Brian Enterline. He said one resident was cooking while the second was asleep on the second floor.

The fire spread from the back of the first floor up “butler stairs” and eventually spread to the roof, according to Enterline.

Firefighters squelched the flames after around a half hour of work. Although the home is uninhabitable, it is “100 percent repairable,” according to Enterline. “[The firefighters] did a helluva job.”

The man who was rescued from the flames via ladder was transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation, Enterline said.

The other resident, who was cooking at the time, was safe. However, a pet cat died in the flames. The two men are staying with family.

“We should thank LifeTeam EMS and the wonderful job they do,” Enterline said in honor of EMS week.

Harrisburg Bureau of Fire received mutual aid from other area fire departments, Enterline said, including Defense Logistics Agency New Cumberland and Progress Fire Company. West Shore Bureau of Fire assisted with its air unit.