Freeport firefighters rescue woman, 74, from home blaze

Freeport firefighters Sunday rescued a woman trapped in a second-floor bedroom - feeling their way through thick smoke to get to her - as her daughter's house went up in flames, authorities said.

The woman, 74, whom authorities did not identify, was in critical condition Sunday night at Nassau University Medical Center after a potentially deadly fire consumed the house where she lived with her daughter and three grandchildren, authorities said Sunday.

The daughter, 40, her brother and three children - ages 12, 7 and 5 - escaped safely, Nassau police said. They were not identified.

The fire appeared to be an accident, possibly starting in a fireplace the family was using, police said Sunday night.

Flames were leaping from first-floor windows at 217 Lena Ave. and threatening to spread to the second story when firefighters arrived just after 3 p.m., said Jerry Cardoso, the Freeport Fire Department chief.

As a team attacked the blaze on the first floor, firefighters Andy Peralta and William Walsh climbed a ladder and entered the home through a second-story window, Cardoso said.

The smoke was so black and thick, they couldn't see the woman unconscious on her bed. They found her with their hands as they felt their way through the room, authorities said.

"It was very punishing conditions," said Cardoso.

Peralta and Walsh carried the woman back to the window, where Capt. Scott Braun was waiting on the ladder. She was placed on a stretcher and lowered to the ground in a bucket held up by a hydraulic arm, officials said.

"She was unconscious, but I could still feel her gurgling. She was breathing," Braun said.

He added: "It's a good feeling. This is what we train for."

It took about 100 firefighters 30 minutes to contain the fire, officials said. The 21/2-story Queen Anne-style home suffered "extensive" damage, police said. A family dog could not be revived and died at the scene, Braun said.

Josefina Hidalgo, a neighbor who was taking care of the three children who survived the fire, said she had spoken to the woman who owned the home and learned the elderly victim was expected to live.

"Everyone is going to be fine," she said.