A massive fire ripped through an apartment building in Worcester, Massachusetts, early Tuesday morning, trapping two people inside who needed to be rescued.
Three people were injured in the fire that occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on Outlook Drive, the Worcester Fire Department said. Firefighters say they tried getting to the scene as soon as possible. They initially ran into some trouble getting access to fire hydrants but once they did, they focused on keeping the flames from jumping from that area on to the next-door buildings.
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Exclusive video shows the harrowing moments a man and a woman were trapped inside the third floor of this Worcester apartment building with flames raging all around them.
Worcester police had to hold a woman back who was trying to rush back inside, desperately screaming at the trapped couple to save themselves.
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Doaa Alkaabi, who escaped the fire, said, "They were screaming trying to ask him for help, they breaking the window trying to go out."
"It spread really, really fast, really, really bad. I hope everybody got out," said Joshua Lopez, whose daughter and grandson escaped the fire.
Firefighters were scrambling to get ground ladders to the back of the building at the congested complex on Outlook Drive before they were finally able to rescue the couple from the third floor.
The couple that was rescued and one other resident were transported to UMass Memorial with unknown injuries. Thirty-five people, including several infants and toddlers, were displaced, some losing everything they own but grateful to be alive.
Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer said the fire spread to three buildings, but they were finally able to contain it and put out most of the flames after about an hour.
"We really did run into a circular water situation where we — for the volume of fire, we had trouble with water, but we were able to manage it OK," said Dyer.
Residents were woken up by their alarms, which were still ringing hours after sunrise. It was a rude awakening for dozens who are now left without a place to live.
“Basically we're like homeless in the street now,” Zen Alaasadi said.
"I just ran down the stairs, we have no car keys. I was having a panic attack, full blown crying," said Jesilia Molina, who escaped with her 8-month-old daughter Emmaliani.
"The fireman was knocking at my door really, really hard, but I was sleeping. The alarm was like in the hallways, but I look in my bathroom and I see fire, and I open my door and I say, 'What's going on?' and one of the firemen said, 'You have to get out, you have to get out!'" recalled Ishmael Perez, who was rescued from the fire.
"You don't realize how scary this stuff is until you see it first-hand," said Amber Jouett who escaped the fire.
"All of your stuff is destroyed just like a tornado or a hurricane it’s just on a smaller scale,” said Red Cross Massachusetts spokesman Jeff Hall.
Rayanalee Miranda, who had just moved in a few weeks ago after years of trying to get her own place, is holding onto hope that she can salvage the material things she holds dear.
The Red Cross is estimating about 100 people were affected by this fire, out of which 35 or so will need to find a new place to live -- a process that the Red Cross says often takes about a year before someone can resettle.
The cleanup and investigation into the cause and origin of this fire continues.
