News-Gazette
CISCO, Ill. — Luke Zimmerman of Monticello will not forget his first fire call any time soon.
The 19-year rookie firefighter for the Cisco Fire Protection District was fresh off writing a six-page paper for his Parkland College English class when the call came in at 12:53 a.m. Monday. A home owned by 83-year-old Patricia Ford had a blaze going strong in the basement, and she was trapped on the first floor of the two-story structure 2 miles north of Cisco.
Zimmerman was one of the first to arrive at the scene and was told by one of Ford’s friends where she would likely be in the home. “I went and grabbed the light, found her, talked to her briefly, and realized I could not get her myself. By the time I got out, there were a group of guys who could go in,” he said.
Full story: Firefighters rescue woman from burning house