A fire at an apartment building in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, has left two people with burn injuries serious enough to be flown away from the scene by medevac helicopter, News 12 New Jersey reported. Emergency crews remained at the site through the morning, with police caution tape up and responders still working as the investigation into how the blaze started got under way.
Officials at the scene gave an account of the toll from the fire. Two burn victims were taken away by helicopter for treatment, while two first responders were left with minor injuries during the response. Another resident of the building also suffered minor injuries, bringing to five the number of people hurt as the fire moved through the property.
According to officials, the building's smoke alarms played a central role in limiting the harm. The alarms went off and alerted the occupants of the other five apartments in the building, giving them the warning they needed to get out as the fire took hold and crews were called to the scene to bring it under control.
One resident who was inside at the time described what happened to News 12. He said he heard the smoke alarms go off, and that he helped one of the burn victims out of the building before calling 911. His account underscored how quickly the situation unfolded and how the warning from the alarms gave people inside a chance to react.
The response drew firefighters from across the area. The Perth Amboy Fire Department was joined by a ladder truck from the Woodbridge Fire Department and a rescue truck from the Hopewell Fire Department, which responded to assist at the scene. The Colonial and Sayreville fire departments were covering the city while local crews were tied up at the fire.
The emergency also shut down part of the surrounding neighbourhood. Officials said Chauncey Street would be closed for a couple of hours while the work continued, and with caution tape in place and responders still on the scene, the chief indicated that the investigation into the fire would carry on as the area was secured.
Speaking at the scene, the fire chief used the moment to press a safety message to the wider community. He urged residents to check their smoke alarms every month and to make sure they have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, pointing to how it was those alarms that had alerted the other occupants of the building to the fire in time to escape.