TACOMA, Wash. — A girl is fighting for her life after a devastating house fire in the South Sound, after a desperate search and rescue from the home by firefighters.
The fire started early Sunday morning at a Tacoma home on East Clarkston Street near South Lane.
The adults and another child inside made it out safely, but an 11-year-old girl was trapped inside.
The entire situation hit everyone hard, including the firefighters who responded.
According to the assistant fire chief, it is “never easy. After all, what is left of the house shows just how devastating this fire was.”
When they arrived, they had to immediately search the house for missing persons.
Firefighters faced a fully engulfed house when they arrived just after 3:30 a.m.. Neighbors say the fire slowly grew out of control.
“Boy, you know what, there must have been eight fire engines,” said Ingrid Cottey. “And of course, what you see first are the lights.”
Cottey, a nearly 60-year resident here, says that’s what woke her up, but the situation quickly got much worse.
“And Mama over there was screaming, ‘my daughter, my daughter, my daughter is in there,’” said Cottey. “So she apparently was upstairs.”
Firefighters were dismayed by what they encountered.
“Initial report was we had two victims inside,” said Assistant Tacoma Fire Chief Alex Wilsie. “Crews arrived on scene and found heavy fire and smoke.”
Wilsie says they immediately sprang into rescue mode. “We were able to pull out one victim initially in the fire,” he said.
By then, family members realized she was the only one unaccounted for. Neighbors say they were told she is an 11-year-old girl.
Chief Wilsie wouldn’t say much about her condition.
“I can’t obviously say who they are but they were a viable patient upon our transport,” he said.
He said the desperate search for her had taken a toll on firefighters.
“We’ll be doing a debrief with everybody afterwards,” the Chief said, “make sure that everybody’s mental health is intact.”
Those who witnessed the sad scene are struggling, too.
“I’m hoping she’s okay,” said Ingrid Cottey. “It took a long time before they got her out. So I’m just saying a little prayer that that little girl is all right.”
The girl was transferred to Harborview Medical Center, where she was in the intensive care unit in critical condition.
"condition" - Google News
March 22, 2021 at 12:47AM
https://ift.tt/3f2gQfZ
Tacoma girl in critical condition after rescue from burning home - KIRO Seattle
"condition" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2W6ON50
https://ift.tt/2L1ho5r
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Tacoma girl in critical condition after rescue from burning home - KIRO Seattle"
Post a Comment