A fire spread through the fifth floor of a New Bedford high-rise apartment complex Thursday night, scaring residents who were evacuated while firefighters fought the blaze.
NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that the call at Harborview Towers on East Second Street came in about 9:30 p.m. The building is occupied by elderly and disabled people. Every fire truck in the city responded. Several handicapped residents were trapped, including one woman who was isolated on her balcony.
"Ladder 3 was the first ladder truck on the scene, and they had those reports that the woman was there. The smoke was going towards her, back and forth. They noticed her and she was screaming for them, and they brought the aerial to her and brought her down," Deputy Chief Paul Corderre said.
Officials said 72 apartment units were evacuated to a nearby high school.
"We were just watching TV and then all of a sudden we heard the smoke alarm and then the apartment just started filling up with smoke. My husband opened the door and the whole hallway was just full of smoke," one resident said.
Five people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation but no serious injuries were reported.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
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