Firefighters pulled an unconscious 90-year-old man from the flames of his burning house Friday morning.
The elderly man, who was not immediately identified, was found lying unconscious and not breathing amid “very heavy smoke conditions” toward the back of the house, 2721 22nd Avenue S, said spokesman Lt. Joel Granata.
Firefighters carried the man out of the house and used an on-scene kit to open his air passages. He was then rushed to a local hospital, where he is in critical condition, Granata said.
“If it hadn’t been for that, he would have died — there’s not even a question,” Granata said. “It was a very heroic act.”
The blaze broke out in the home around 8 a.m., and before long it had consumed much of the house, Granata said.
“There was a lot of fire,” Granata said, adding firefighters battled the flames from both inside and outside the residence.
Investigators were investigating the scene Friday morning, but firefighters said the house appeared to be a total loss.
No one else was injured in the blaze.
An investigation is underway.
St. Petersburg Times