Two Individuals Sent to the Hospital With Smoke Inhalation From House Fire

On the evening of February 19th at 5:53 p.m., Great Falls Fire Rescue was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 3420 5th Ave S. While responding, dispatch informed the crews that a female occupant and a dog had safely evacuated the residence, but a male occupant remained inside.

According to reports, Engine 3 was the first unit to arrive on the scene and confirmed there was a fire in the basement of the home. Upon arrival, crews located the male occupant just inside the doorway. The residence was heavily filled with smoke, and the male was unresponsive to verbal commands. Personnel from Engine 3 made an immediate entry to initiate a rescue.

During the rescue, the male occupant became combative and inadvertently pulled the regulator from the facepiece of one firefighter. Despite this challenge, the Engine 3 team successfully completed the rescue, bringing both the occupant and crew members safely out of the structure. The male occupant was transported to a local hospital for evaluation due to smoke inhalation.

According to reports, shortly after the rescue was completed, the conditions inside the home worsened. Engine 3 transitioned to an exterior attack, accessing the basement through a window to bring the main body of the fire under control. Once conditions improved, crews re-entered the structure to extinguish any remaining fire in the basement.

Engine 4 conducted a search of the rest of the residence, while Truck 2 assisted with patient care and ventilation operations. The firefighter whose facepiece regulator was dislodged during the rescue was also transported to the hospital for evaluation. He has since been released and is resting at home in good condition.

At this time, no additional information is available regarding the rescued occupant. The fire has been classified as accidental. The male occupant was reportedly using a small propane torch to thaw frozen pipes, which ignited nearby materials. Fire damage was primarily contained to the basement; however, the residence sustained smoke damage throughout.