The Revere Fire Department rescued two people Tuesday from a balcony adjacent to Unit 1107 – where a blaze had engulfed a large exterior wooden deck — at a high-rise building at 370 Ocean Ave.
The firefighters were able to reach the two individuals who were trapped on the Unit 1102 balcony that had become enveloped in smoke. The firefighters were able to assist the individuals out of the life-threatening situation and escort them safely to the ground level.
Fire Chief Christopher Bright said the department received its first notification of the blaze at 1:59 p.m. All of Revere’s fire apparatus raced to the scene of the fire that necessitated a third alarm.
Firefighters from Everett, Chelsea, Malden, Winthrop, Massport, and Boston assisted the Revere department.
The firefighting operation was a labor-intensive effort, with firefighters having to carry all equipment and interior lines up the stairwells to the standpipes on the ninth floor before dragging lines up to the eleventh floor, 110 feet above the ground.
Bright said there were some fortuitous circumstances that prevented the blaze from escalating into a multi-floor conflagration.
“We’re lucky that the wind was blowing away from the building because we would have had several floors on fire,†said Bright. “There was a lot of heat damage to the skin of the building, and it broke a couple of windows and damaged the fire doors right outside the fire area.
“We had a lot of things go in our favor – the time of day, the fire was discovered early, we have a fire watch in the building, which was very helpful in the initials stages of the fire,†added Bright.
Bright said an investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the fire.
