JOLIET, Ill. — Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Berta and a Joliet police officer are credited with a swift and effective rescue on June 9, after an apartment fire trapped a family on the third floor.
The blaze broke out around 12:30 p.m. at 115 Essington Road. Berta was returning from a vehicle crash on Interstate 80 when the initial alarm was dispatched and he was the first one on the scene, the Herald News reported.
Berta notified responding companies that three people — a mother, father and a 3-year-old child — were trapped on the third-floor balcony, with fire showing from the second floor.
Police body-worn camera video from Officer Salazar shows a maintenance worker retrieving an extension ladder from a nearby shed and joining Berta in reaching a third-floor balcony, according to fire officials.
As they positioned the ladder, a resident hanging from the balcony attempted to lower himself to the second floor by gripping the railing, but lost his hold and fell to the ground.
Berta then instructed the child’s mother to stay in place while he climbed the ladder to reach her 3-year-old. He successfully rescued the child and brought them safely down, officials said.
Once the family was rescued, Berta, Salazar and Officer Schulman, who had then arrived on the scene, entered the burning apartment to search for additional occupants as fire companies arrived.
Seven residents were treated on scene for minor injuries and all occupants were safely accounted for according to fire officials.
Roughly 15 people were inside the building when the fire began. Most were able to evacuate on their own without assistance.
