By O’Ryan Johnson
The Boston Herald
Copyright 2007 Boston Herald Inc.
BOSTON — An off-duty firefighter who rushed into a flaming Hyde Park home in a heroic bid to search for trapped children suffered severe smoke inhalation in the rescue try, fire officials said.
Firefighter Glen Preston was on River Street when he saw smoke Tuesday, and neighbors told him children were trapped in the two-story wood framed house. With no equipment or protective clothing, Preston raced inside to search room by room for anyone unable to escape the flames.
No one was in the home, and Preston was overcome with smoke and taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The fire raged to two alarms, and 60 firefighters finally extinguished it. It caused $250,000 in damage to the home. Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Parker said the blaze started in the kitchen area of the second floor. The exact cause remains under investigation.
Preston is assigned to Engine 17 out of Dorchester.
Parker said Preston was treated and released from the hospital, but he will not return to duty until he’s cleared by the department doctor.