Firefighter rescues captain during deadly blaze
By WCVB Staff
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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WCVB) — A New Hampshire firefighter is being credited with saving the life of a captain who was engulfed in flames during a blaze at a Manchester apartment building that claimed the life of a resident.
Manchester Fire Chief Andre Parent said firefighters were dispatched shortly before 6:10 p.m. Saturday to the fire at a 6-unit multifamily building located at 8-10 Dutton St.
Crews encountered heavy fire on all three floors of the building, and the Engine 11 crew immediately began to knock down the flames, at which time Capt. Steve DesRuisseaux noticed that residents were trapped on the third floor. DesRuisseaux notified all personnel that they would be in rescue mode and made entry into the building.
Battalion Chief Dave Flurey then assumed command and directed other fire engines to set up ground ladders after they arrived at the scene.
Truck 1 rescued one man and one woman by ladder from the third floor of the Dutton-Amherst Street corner of the building, while Engine 11 and Rescue 1 saved two girls and one man by ladder from the third floor on the front side of the building.
Truck 1 and Truck 6 then set up a ladder to the second floor on the backside of the building and rescued one man from there.
Parent said DesRuisseaux became engulfed in flames during a flashover after rescuing the man from the second floor. The captain attempted to bail from the second-floor porch, but his self-contained breathing apparatus strap got caught on the ladder in the process, trapping him in the fire.
According to Parent, Lt. Scott Brassard climbed the ladder to help free DesRuisseaux. Truck 1 firefighter Joshua Charpentier, who saw heavy flames coming from the second floor, made the decision to knock the ladder away from the building to prevent further injury to his comrades, but that caused Brassard and DesRuisseaux to fall 10 to 15 feet.
Brassard sprained his ankle as a result of the fall, but he continued to work for the duration of the fire and waited to seek medical treatment afterward, Parent said.
“The actions of the crews last night went above and beyond the call of duty, and Captain DesRuisseaux’s efforts were nothing short of heroic,” Flurey said in a statement. “Captain DesRuisseaux’s actions led to the rescue of six people and is a true testament to Steve’s professionalism.”
DesRuisseaux was transported by an American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance to Elliot Hospital. From there, the captain was flown by a UMass Memorial Life Flight medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Parent said DesRuisseaux suffered second- and third-degree burns to approximately 35 to 40% of his body and is still being treated for his injuries as of Sunday afternoon.
Manchester fire officials confirmed one resident of the apartment building died in the fire. That victim has not been identified.
In addition, officials said another resident was sent to a Boston hospital to be treated for respiratory injuries. Several of the rescued residents were treated at the scene.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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