Three people rescued after fire at home in Chelsea

CHELSEA, Mass. — A rescue, a narrow escape, the heartbreaking loss of pets. When the fire alarms went off Sunday morning at 132 Congress Street, residents had just seconds to evacuate. But some could not get out.

“When the deputy chief arrived, he noticed three people in that third-floor unit, at the window, unable to get out,” said Chelsea Fire Chief John Quatieri.

That necessitated a rescue -- and the only way to do it was with a ladder truck. One complicating factor: is the preponderance of wires strung in front of the building.

“It’s always an issue for any fire department,” said Quatieri. “If you look at where the window was where they pulled the three occupants out, there’s a primary wire in close proximity to that window.”

When touched, primary wires can kill. But Quatieri said you don’t always have to come in contact with the wire for a terrible thing to happen.

“If the conditions are right that power could jump,” said Quatieri. “We’ve seen it many times. Members on ladder trucks get electrocuted or the truck gets energized.”

That is why fire departments discourage the use of ladders near primary wires. But in this case, Quatieri said, they had no choice.

“Sometimes in situations like this, you have to take a risk -- and they did and it paid off,” he said.

The fire started in the apartment immediately below where the rescue occurred. Oscar Argueta lives there along with two roommates and a number of pet cats. He woke to fire alarms and thick smoke Sunday morning -- smoke so thick Argueta had to crawl on the floor to try and locate the cats.

He couldn’t find them.

“It looked like hell in my living room,” he said. “There was too much smoke, I almost passed out.”

Fortunately, everyone got out of the building alive, the three rescued suffering from smoke inhalation, but expected to survive. It’s unknown whether any of the cats escaped.

The cause of the fire is unknown, Quatieri said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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