Man, dog rescued from Parma Heights house fire

PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio (WOIO) - Parma firefighters saved a man and his dog as their Parma Heights home went up in smoke on Friday morning.

The fire in the 7000 block of York Road broke out around 9 a.m. on May 19, Parma Fire Public Information Officer Preston Bures stated.

19 News learned an elderly man lived in the home. He noticed the smoke and found the fire in his basement and tried to put it out.

“Was unable to put it out and retreated back to the bedroom to retrieve his phone to call 911 by that time the fire had grown in size,” said John Braskie, Parma Heights Fire Lieutenant.

Parma Medic 3 and a Middleburg Heights fire chief were the first to arrive on scene when the report of a trapped victim came in, according to Bures.

Before the hose line was ready to go to protect first responders from the flames, crews aggressively pushed through by jumping in through the bedroom window to rescue the trapped victim, Bures stated.

The victim was alert when he was carried out of the house and into an ambulance, and was stable as he was taken to the hospital, said Bures.

Heavy smoke from the basement fire continued to fill the home, Bures said, but there was one more soul inside who needed saving.

Firefighters searched the house to find the victim’s dog, who was then carried out of the same window as his owner, according to Bures.

The dog was given oxygen at the scene and is stable, Bures said.

Bures confirmed no one else suffered any injuries in the fire.

“It’s a very good outcome,” said Braskie. “I believe the victim will be okay and the dog seemed okay. No firefighters were hurt so it’s a very rare outcome to have a victim in a house fire that is rescued without injury.”

Firefighters from Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, and Middleburg Heights teamed up to battle the blaze, which was quickly put out, Bures stated.

The cause of the flames is still under investigation.

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