One Man Rescued by Civilians at Pleasant Valley Apartment Fire

With the help of three civilian bystanders, one neighbor, and two contractors, a burn victim was rescued from an apartment fire.

According to a press release from the Pleasant Valley Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched to an apartment fire at the Country Commons Apartments located at 216 West Road in Pleasant Valley, with reports stating that smoke was coming out of a building and a person was trapped inside the residence.

The report stated that the fire started at around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, February 16th at the Country Commons Apartments and before firefighters could make it to the scene, a burn victim was rescued from the apartment by three civilian bystanders, one neighbor, and two contractors.

UPDATE: According to the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office a neighbor, Joshua Constable, forcibly entered the burning apartment to rescue the occupant who was trapped and yelling for help. Bruce Griffing II and Ronald Rembert, alarm company contractors who were working in the complex, also entered the apartment and assisted with removing the occupant. Mr. Griffing then closed the apartment door which helped to delay the spread of the fire.

First responders from Mobile Life Support arrived on the scene and treated the burn victim, then transported him to the hospital for further care. One dog that was also in the apartment was uninjured and once out of harm's way, was turned over to the Dutchess County SPCA for further care.

Upon the fire department's arrival, they found heavy smoke and fire, but after doing some amazing work they were able to contain the fire damage to one apartment. Adjacent apartments at the complex did sustain smoke damage but because of the swift work by the over 50 firefights that responded, the damage was much less than it could have been. Firefighters cleared the scene at approximately 1:30 pm.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division and once more information is made available, we will update this article. The Pleasant Valley Fire Department also wanted to take this time to remind everyone to make sure they have working CO and smoke detectors in their homes and to have an evacuation plan in case of emergencies.