Edhat Staff
Three people sustained injuries from an apartment building fire in Old Town Goleta on Tuesday afternoon.
At 4:52 p.m. Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to a structure fire in the 100 block of Orange Ave with three engines, one truck, and one Batallion Chief. Crews arrived to find a working fire at a garden-style apartment building.
Firefighters stretched hose lines to attack the fire while a second crew conducted primary and secondary searches of the interior. One occupant was pulled from the building prior to firefighter’s arrival and was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation while two others were transported to the hospital, according to SBC Fire Captain Daniel Bertucelli.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Rockwell Ellis and Senior Deputy David Ashley were first to arrive on the scene and found an unconscious woman on the floor inside an apartment that was filled with smoke and flames. The woman’s clothing was beginning to catch fire and she was non-responsive. Senior Deputy Ashley patted out the flames on the woman’s clothing and pulled her out the door with the assistance of Deputy Ellis. Once she was outside of the apartment, deputies worked together to carry the unconscious victim down a flight of stairs and to the street.
County Fire arrived on scene moments later and began fighting the fire. American Medical Response arrived shortly afterward and took over care of the victim. Additional ambulances were dispatched for the deputies who had inhaled a significant amount of smoke during the rescue. The victim and both deputies were transported to area hospitals. We do not know the status of the victim. Both deputies walked out of the hospital shortly after 7:00 p.m. and are expected to recover.
Firefighter’s aggressive knock down of the fire saved adjacent apartment units and further loss. All utilities have been shut off and the building has been ventilated, according to Captain Bertucelli.
Photo: SBCFD
[The above post includes updated information from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office]
By Scanner Andrew
County firefighters are responding to a structure fire in the 100 block of Orange Avenue in Goleta.
