Woman, dog rescued from burning Fayetteville apartment
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- A woman and a dog had to be rescued from a burning apartment building in Fayetteville Monday morning.
It happened just after 8:30 a.m. at the Oakridge Place Apartments on Oakridge Avenue.
A nearby utility worker told ABC11 he heard 55-year-old Elysa Lenczyk screaming for help out of her second-story window and tried to rescue her, but was unable to reach her through the intense smoke and flames.
"Anybody would have done it ... the lady was hanging out the window yelling fire, when I turned around there was smoke barreling out of the apartment," Kevin Stanley said. "I ran over and up the stairs, kicked in the door."
He said he went back to the balcony and talked to Lenczyk, telling her fire trucks were on the way.
"She was still hanging out the window, she was half clothed, she was worried about that," Stanley said. "Her face was all black with soot. I told her if they did not get here, she may have to jump out the window."
A neighbor also called 911, while other residents ran to find a ladder.
"I basically let her know that the apartment was on fire and that we had a lady stuck inside with some animals," Evalene Smith said.
When emergency crews arrived, heavy smoke could be seen billowing out of the apartment complex, according to officials.
Firefighters were able to quickly rescue Lenczyk and put out the flames. The fire was confined to her apartment, but there was some minor water damage noted in the apartment below it, officials said.
Lenczyk was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and EMS crews were able to revive her elderly dog at the scene. The dog was taken by family members to a veterinarian and is expected to fully recover. One cat was also located inside the apartment in good condition.
An investigation determined the fire started accidentally in the living room when combustibles got too close to a candle.
The investigation also revealed that there were no operable smoke alarms in the apartment at the time of the fire.
