EVERETT – Two Everett Public Works Department workers rushed into a burning building when they saw smoke. A firefighter was alerted to a young girl in the flames, prompting a dramatic rescue.
It happened around 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning when flames broke out on the third floor of the apartment building on Hancock Street.
Everett firefighter hailed as ‘hero’
Jesse Winocour and Jason Papa, DPW employees in Everett, happened to be driving by at the time.
“We come down here. I smelled smoke, smelled something. I asked him, ‘Do you smell that?’ As I walked down the street, I saw smoke coming from the roof. So I told him, ‘Stop the truck, stop the truck!’ We both ran outside, ran to the building, kicked in the doors, got everybody out,” Winocour said.
But when the men reached the third floor, conditions were too dangerous to reach the small child who was trapped.
“We tried to go up to the third floor where the little girl was. We couldn’t get all the way in. Too much smoke, too much fire. We tried,” Winocour said. “But when we got down, we told the firefighter to go up. He went up and saved her. He’s the hero. The firefighter saved the little girl. He’s the hero.”
Mayday call issued
Everett Fire Chief Gary Ostler said the girl was unconscious after being rescued, but she regained consciousness in the ambulance and was expected to be OK.
“From what I’m told, the baby is fine,” said Ostler, who praised the DPW workers and firefighter for their quick actions. “They were very helpful. It was good that they were there, saw it and helped. This is the ultimate team sport, as I like to call it. Everybody helps out. Their help got people out of the building, allowed us to go further into the building and get the baby.”
At one point, a firefighter called for a mayday, but they were able to escape safely. The firefighter was taken to Mass General Hospital for treatment.
Residents displaced after fire
Dad was asked what went through his mind when he saw the fire.
“Honestly, nothing. [Winocour] said, ‘Let’s go.’ I went,” said Dad. “I’m a little shocked, seeing the little girl come into his arms like that, just hanging there. I have six kids of my own. I have three boys, three girls. She was about the same age as one of my daughters. But at the end of the day, she’s OK.”
About 20 people were displaced after the fire. The cause has not yet been determined, but a neighbor said it is believed to have started in a third-floor laundry room.
