The St. Stephen Fire Department receiving a call to a fire at 80 Union Street at around 1:20pm on Tuesday, November 6th.
Lt. Mike Theriault tells Tide News when he arrived at the scene, he started to get the hose lines ready when a resident told him a woman was still trapped in the burning building. The resident said he was unable to get the woman out. Theriault says he went inside the apartment building, and noticed smoke coming from under the woman's door. He says the door was locked and it took a few tries before he could bust through it using his shoulder.
He says once the door opened, heavy black smoke poured out, making it extremely difficult to see. Theriault says he took a few steps into the woman's apartment with his hands out infront of him. He grabbed what he thought could be an arm and it turned out to be the woman. He describes the woman as covered in soot and ash and her hair was sizzled.
He brought the woman outside and asked her if anyone else was inside the building, which she replied, "Yes." He asked her again and the woman said, "Well, my cat is inside." He agreed the department would try to recover the cat after she was out of harm's way. Theriault says he handed the woman over to paramedics and she was treated with smoke inhalation.
Theriault says he started working with the St. Stephen Fire Department in 1992, and in Pennfield four years before that.
The department has not yet determined the cause of the fire.
Theriault says the woman's cat made it out safely as well.
