Great Falls house fire sends two to the hospital with smoke inhalation

Press release from Great Falls Fire Rescue

GREAT FALLS Mont. - Last night at 5:53 p.m., Great Falls Fire Rescue was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 3420 5th Ave S.

While responding, dispatch advised crews that a female occupant and a dog had evacuated the residence; however, a male occupant remained inside.

Engine 3 was the first unit to arrive on scene and confirmed fire in the basement of the home.

Upon arrival, crews located a male occupant just inside the doorway. The residence was heavily charged with smoke, and the male was unresponsive to verbal commands. Engine 3 personnel made immediate entry and initiated a rescue.

During the rescue, the male became combative and pulled the regulator from the facepiece of one firefighter. Despite this, Engine 3 personnel successfully completed the rescue and removed both the occupant and crew members safely from the structure. The male was transported to a local hospital for evaluation of smoke inhalation.

Shortly after the rescue was completed, interior conditions deteriorated. Engine 3 transitioned to an exterior attack, accessing the basement through a window and bringing the main body of fire under control. Once conditions improved, crews re-entered the structure to extinguish remaining fire in the basement.

Engine 4 conducted a search of the remainder of the residence, and Truck 2 assisted with patient care and ventilation operations.

The firefighter whose facepiece regulator was dislodged during the rescue was transported to the hospital for evaluation. He has since been released and is resting at home in good condition. No additional information is available at this time regarding the rescued occupant.

The fire has been classified as accidental. The male occupant was reportedly using a small propane torch in an attempt to thaw frozen pipes, which ignited nearby materials. Fire damage was primarily contained to the basement; however, the residence sustained smoke damage throughout.