Saugeen Shores firefighter plan to undertake a public education initiative this weekend after a house fire in Port Elgin on Thursday where a woman had to be rescued from a second-floor bedroom.
Saugeen Shores Fire Chief Ed Melanson said via e-mail on Saturday morning that the department’s public education team plan to visit the area as part of an “after the fire” initiative to highlight the importance of working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Police, fire and paramedics were dispatched to the blaze at the semi-detached residence in the 300 block of Bricker Street just before 4 p.m.
Two stations and 20 firefighters from the Saugeen Shores Fire Services responded, Melanson said, adding that working smoke alarms were heard from the home.
Smoke was showing from the rear of the home and there were blackened windows at the front, the chief said.
It was determined that a resident was trapped inside her bedroom, Melanson said.
“Firefighters used a technique called Vent-Enter-Search to enter the bedroom through the rear facing window using a ladder to rescue the resident as the front of the house had a contents fire underway,” Melanson said. “It was the only method to extricate her.”
The woman was handed over to EMS for care and she was transported to hospital for further medical assessment, Saugeen Shores Police said in a news release on Friday.
No other people were located within the home, police said.
Melanson said fire crews quickly knocked down the fire, which caused extensive damage to the interior and the contents of the home.
“Our firefighters acted quickly and efficiently to perform a rescue and put the fire out with little damage to the adjoining home,” Melanson said. “I am very proud of their efforts and dedication to both training and response.”
An investigation has deemed the fire not suspicious, Melanson said.