Disabled Woman; Trapped Firefighter Rescued from House Fire - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

Disabled Woman; Trapped Firefighter Rescued from House Fire

     It was a harrowing day for Providence firefighters.
     They are suffering in the heat like everyone else....but then they were called to a raging house fire....only to have one of their men, get trapped inside.

     It is the one radio call that firefighters dread.
     When they hear someone call out "may-day" on an emergency radio.....it means one of the own is trapped or lost in a burning building and is in grave danger.
     That's exactly what happened Tuesday morning:

     Sirens blared and a tower of smoke billowed into the sky above the house at 9 Cononchet Street in Providence's Mount Pleasant neighborhood just before 11 a.m..  - and some alert neighbors, knowing a disabled woman lived there....called 911,

     Priscilla Almeida an eyewitness says, "Oh it was crazy. It was flames everywhere. It was smoke. Everybody coming out. They had to make a hole on the roof just to see everything."

    A passerby named Frank DiMaio, neighbors and firefighters rushed to get Lovell Pulisciano out of the house, and onto the hospital.

    ABC6 Reporter Mark Curtis says, "It was at that point, that two more firefighters went in on search and rescue efforts to see if anyone else is inside, and something very frightening occurred, and a 'mayday' was called."

     As heavy smoked continued to pour from the home, firefighters entered the basement and were enveloped in darkness:

     Chief Michael Dillon, Providence Fire Department, says, "One of the firefighters became disoriented, transmitted a 'mayday' and fortunately his training kicked in and we were able to quickly locate him and remove him."

     That firefighter and one other were taken to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. According to the Chief...both they...and the resident are expected to be ok.