A firefighter inspects the aftermath of the structure a woman was rescued from

A rash of fires over the last two days resulted in firefighters rescuing an elderly woman. Lake County Firefighters battled four house fires over the past 48 and rescued an unconscious woman from one of the burning houses. Two of the fires occurred in Groveland, one in the Umatilla area, and one in Lady Lake. No connections have been made between the fires.

Monday afternoon firefighters were called to the Lakeside RV Park around 630PM for a home on fire. Firefighters arrived in only minutes to find smoke and fire billowing out the bedroom window of a RV an elderly couple was residing in. Two Lake County firefighters made entry into the house after reports of a woman being trapped inside. The firefighters searched through blinding smoke and heat to find the unconscious woman covered in soot. The two firefighters quickly pulled her outside. She was turned over to waiting fire medics and crews from ems. The awaiting rescuers administered Advanced Life Support to the victim and were able to revive her and transported her to a local hospital. The patient was later flown to a trauma center to be treated for smoke inhalation and 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns.

“These firefighters arrived on scene and did not waste any time. They went straight into the burning structure to rescue a victim. It’s what we continually train on day after day”, explains Lt. Brian Gamble, Vice President of the Professional Firefighters of Lake County. “They encountered high heat and zero visibility while looking for the trapped resident. They found her on the floor in the hallway during their search. She was unresponsive and covered in soot. They immediately brought her out.”

“This patient is extremely lucky. She is fortunate that the firefighters were able to find her quickly and pull her to safety, but even more so that the first engine that arrived was staffed that day. This engine is based in our Dona Vista station which was only about a 1/3 of a mile away. However, due to departmental economic restraints, this station is only staffed on an occasional basis when manpower allows. Fortunately for her, it was staffed today. We feel the citizens would benefit if it was staffed full time like all our other stations.” The closest county fire station that is staffed around the clock is over 5 miles away.

“Regardless, it is always a good outcome when we can save a life.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Lake County Firefighters, Eustis Fire Dept and Lake EMS responded and assisted with this incident.

Photos courtesy of Troy Borowsky