Firefighters Rescue Woman from East Harlem Fire

Lt. Gregory Prial (center) describes the East Harlem fire where he, Firefighter John Haseney (second from left) and Firefighter John Hemsley (far right) helped rescue an unconscious woman.

Lt. Gregory Prial, and Firefighters John Haseney and John Hemsley, from Ladder 43 rescued a woman from an East Harlem apartment fire on March 3.

“They did a great job,” said Deputy Chief Dan Donohue. “She wouldn’t be alive if not for their actions.”

At approximately 2:30 a.m. firefighters were called to a 6th floor apartment on E. 108th St. in Manhattan.

When they reached the door to the fire apartment, firefighters saw the paint bubbling and heavy soot around the frame.

After forcing open the door, Lt. Prial said inside the apartment was so smoky, “you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.”

The fire was located in the living room and so Firefighter Hemsley pushed back the fire using an extinguisher as Lt. Prial and Firefighter Haseney conducted their searches.

Lt. Prial located the woman in a back bedroom and called for Firefighter Haseney to help remove her from the apartment. She was unconscious, had sustained burns to her hands and face, and had soot around her mouth.

Ladder 43's apparatus

Once she was moved to safety, members of Engine 53 began doing CPR and revived the woman, who had gone into cardiac arrest.

She was then rushed to Cornell Burn Center by awaiting EMS members.

Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire, but said there appeared to be no working smoke detectors in the apartment.

“If she’d had a working smoke detector she would have been able to walk out of that apartment,” said Lt. Prial. “We hope she’ll be able to make a full recovery.”

Firefighter Haseney, who in January returned from a year of service in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard, said “I’m glad to be back doing a job I love and saving a life.”