On Monday evening at 7:14, rescue crews from Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company were dispatched to the unit block of Squirrel Lane, in the Elan of Huntington Hills, for a rescue for a tree onto a house with a subject trapped, according to Aetna Deputy Chief Jeff Sands.
Sands said as crews responded, further information indicated that there was possibly a grill on fire next to the house upgrading the response to a structure fire. Crews arrived to find Newark Police officers on scene. The officers, who had already entered the home, confirmed a patient was trapped on the second floor of the home and that was no fire.
Crews made contact with the patient and determined that a tree struck the roof causing a lean-to-type collapse in the second-floor kitchen area. The New Castle County Collapse Team was then requested to respond. Crews secured the power to the home while firefighters from Aetna and Christiana stabilized the roof and tree with specialized rescue struts.
Sand said with the collapse stabilized, they were then able to cut through roof rafters with a Sawzall and tunnel into the patient through tree branches, roof rafters, insulation, and wires. They were able to free her arm, which was pinned, and then assisted her from the house to safety.
The patient and two children were standing in the kitchen when the collapse occurred but miraculously the trapped patient suffered minor injuries and the children were uninjured.
From the time of the 911 call to the patient being removed from the structure was 29 minutes and this is a credit to the outstanding efforts of the responding crews who safely and quickly handled the emergency.
“With thunder still rumbling and lightning cracking overhead, responding crews were faced with a challenging extrication. They worked together quickly and safely to stabilize the situation and remove the victim from the home.”, added Sands.
The patient was assessed by Aetna ambulance and NCCEMS and was transported to Christiana Hospital in stable condition.
