PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A woman was saved from the second floor of a structure fire on Marlboro Drive on Monday evening.
Two search teams had to work through a hoarding situation inside the single-family home at 1 Marlboro after the blaze was called in at about 6:45 p.m.
The woman was found by the Tower 1 team at the top of the stairs about 15 minutes after the first unit arrived on scene. She was taken to Berkshire Medical Center by County Ambulance.
Neighbors first reported smoke coming from the house with fire alarms sounding. Engine 6 confirmed smoke coming from the house and were met with serious hoarding conditions making access inside the house difficult. Engine 2 was requested to respond as well and eight off-duty firefighters were called in to man an engine and ladder truck at headquarters to cover the city.
Multiple companies worked to overcome the hoarding condition behind the entry door to get inside and locate a spreading fire in the kitchen on the first floor. At this time, neighbors informed firefighters there was a woman still inside the house and that she usually stays on the second floor. T1 crew worked to gain access the second story from the front while Engine 3 went to a rear second-floor window. Both companies were tasked with a "Vent Enter Search" tactic that focuses on getting directly to the victim, which can be extremely dangerous with active fire on the floor below.
E6 located and began extinguishing the majority of the fire in the kitchen while T1 made entry under extreme smoke conditions. Minutes later they located the woman and worked to get her out a rear window to the E3 team.
Once water supply had been established, primary and secondary searches were conducted of all floors of the home and the fire was completely extinguished.
The woman was the only occupant found in the home.
There is no update on the victim's condition and the fire is being investigated by both police and fire investigators. There have been no reports of fire personnel injuries.
