Jersey Journal (New Jersey)
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City firefighters fought through thick black smoke to rescue a woman from a burning building yesterday evening, and then emergency medical workers “brought her back from the dead,” fire officials said.
The woman, who was found unconscious and in the fetal position on the second floor of the two-story wood frame structure, “had no pulse and was lifeless — her eyes had that gray look,” Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman said last night. “They brought her back from the dead, absolutely.”
The woman was treated at the scene by Jersey City Medical Center EMTs and then rushed to the JCMC, where she is in critical condition, Roman said.
“The EMTs did a great job,” Roman said. “If she lives, it’s a credit to the firefighters who risked their lives and found her so quickly when there was zero visibility in the building.”
The building, at 256 Halladay St., appeared to be empty and its windows were boarded with plywood. When firefighters arrived at 5:25 last night, they were greeted by heavy smoke and fire.
While conducting a search of the building, Firefighter Craig Wallace fell through a hole in the second floor, but was able catch himself and raise himself out.
The department’s arson unit is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.
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