LEWISTON, Maine -- A pair of Lewiston police officers pulled a blind man out of a Bartlett Street apartment early Monday as the buildings next door went up in flames.
Officers Kevin Gagne and Ryan Richardson began evacuating the apartment building around 3 a.m. as the vacant buildings next door, 114 and 118 Bartlett, became fully engulfed in flames. The fire was very close to the apartment building and police were concerned that building could burn, too. Richard said he believes the side had started to smoke.
Richardson said he and Gagne went through the building, yelling for people to get out and kicking down apartment doors. After they fled, residents initially told police everyone was out of the building.
"Ten minutes later, one of the bystanders said 'What about the guy that's in there that's blind?'" Richardson said. "We went back in and there was one door we hadn't booted."
Th apartment was on the first floor, in a section that had been out of sight to police. Gagne and Richardson knocked down the apartment door and found the man inside. He was awake but disoriented.
"He had no idea what was going on," Richardson said.
The man, who was about retirement age, was blind and also appeared to be hard of hearing. He refused to leave the apartment. Concerned for his safety, Richardson said he and Gagne dragged him out of the building.
Police did not know the man's name.
No residents were injured in Monday's fire. The two vacant Bartlett Street buildings were destroyed. A nearby Horton Street apartment building was damaged.
Copyright 2013 - Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
