An investigation is underway after a three-alarm house fire displaced a family of four in Oxford, Massachusetts overnight Friday.
First responders arrived at the scene just before 1 a.m., where three of the residents of the home on Leicester Street were able to make it out on their own, according to the Oxford Fire Department -- but a fourth required the assistance of a police officer.
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Police said that officer, Sgt. Michael Gifford, arrived and saw a man lying on the ground after jumping out of a second-floor window to escape the flames. The man couldn't move, so Gifford found a tarp and rolled the man onto it, dragging him to safety until more people arrived for help.
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That resident who required assistance suffered second and third-degree burns over roughly 70% of his body, officials said. The victim, a male in his 30s, was transported to an area hospital with his wounds. Gifford was also taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation, officials said, but has since been released and is expected to return to work soon.
Officials said that the actions of Sgt. Gifford have given the male victim who suffered burns "a better opportunity to survive this tragic incident."
"The fire was so far advanced and caused major destruction to the building -- the second floor collapsed into the first floor, so we are not able to go interior operations because the stability of the building is in question," Oxford Fire Chief Laurent McDonald said.
Two other residents of the home were taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure, officials said.
Part of Leicester Street remained closed amid an investigation into the fire.
