HICKORY, N.C. — Firefighters rescued a man from a second floor apartment that caught fire at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“It was pretty bad,” said neighbor Jane Kenniston. “There was a bunch of smoke coming out of the apartment and he was trapped upstairs.”
Firefighters said a smoke alarm alerted the man of the fire.
He tried to go downstairs but had to retreat back to his room where he shut the door to keep the smoke out.
People nearby tried to reach the man in the apartment along Ninth Avenue Northwest but the smoke and flames were too much for them.
“First thought that went to mind was to get the door open,” said neighbor Chaunce Hill. “Once that happened inside, there was a fire right by the door. And at that point, I knew I wasn’t qualified to go inside.”
The man was hospitalized after inhaling too much smoke.
Firefighters said they placed two ladders on the back of the apartment to make the rescue.
“They immediately got the water and started breaking into the home and within probably 3 minutes, they had the man who was trapped upstairs out,” said another neighbor, who did not want to be identified.
One apartment was heavily damaged.
“They’re definitely heroes,” Kenniston said about the firefighters.
The electrical fire was caused by a faulty extension cord.
No additional details have been made available.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.
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