Two people were pulled from a home near Gage Park after fire crews responded to what was initially an “unknown situation.”
The call came in around 9:45 a.m. Friday and drew emergency personnel to a residence at 12 Hilda Ave.
Fire officials say their crewmembers were met with heavy smoke on the building’s first floor, which prompted them to upgrade the call and list it as a structure fire.
During their search of the home, they came across a 60-year-old woman trying to get out and were able to get her to safety.
They then found a 66-year-old man without vital signs. The fire department says the man was “quickly handed over to paramedics for treatment and taken to hospital.”
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Police say the man and woman are siblings, and remain in hospital in critical condition.
Officials say that upon further inspection of the scene, they discovered that the fire originated inside a dresser, but it had been extinguished by the occupant who they found trying to escape.
Authorities say that, given the nature of the patient’s condition, they have notified the Office of the Fire Marshal and the local police department’s fire investigator.
At this time, the cause of the fire remains unknown, but it is not believed to be suspicious.
Officials estimate there to be $1,500 in damages.