The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PITTSBURGH — One of seven Pittsburgh firefighters injured in a horrific New Year’s Day house fire in Wilkinsburg said the smoke was so thick that he could not see an elderly woman trapped in a second-floor bedroom. But after he heard her coughing, city Bureau of Fire Lt. James O’Toole found her and carried her to a window where other firefighters brought her down a ladder to safety.
When Mr. O’Toole turned around to find his comrades and try to extinguish the blaze, he said, it suddenly exploded into a “flashover” forcing him and four other firefighters to jump out of windows in order to save their own lives.
“The situation was somewhat precarious,” he said. “Luckily I found a window.”
Lt. O’Toole, 51, suffered a concussion and second-degree burns on his hand. He spent Friday night in West Penn Hospital and was released Saturday.
At a news briefing Sunday, he said he was “humble” about rescuing Nannie Felder, 86.
“This is what we do; we have a proud tradition as Pittsburgh firefighters. I’m just another guy.”
Praising the efforts of Lt. O’Toole and his colleagues who responded to the Friday morning blaze on Ross Avenue, Fire Chief Darryl Jones said, “Because of their sacrifice, Mrs. Felder is still with us.”
He declined to discuss the conditions of six other firefighters injured at the scene.
“They are recovering as expected,” he said.
Three firefighters were treated and released Friday from UPMC Mercy; three others were there as of Friday with injuries including burns, a broken pelvis, and fractured vertebra.
Mrs. Felder is still hospitalized at UPMC Mercy, said Sonya Toler, public information officer for the city of Pittsburgh.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Chief Jones.
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