Firefighters Rescue Elderly
 
Harrisburg, Pa. - A fire that damaged a couple of rooms at 1115 Green Street in Harrisburg on Tuesday morning was not only destructive, it was almost deadly.

The 87-year-old woman who lived in the home was discovered on the kitchen floor by Harrisburg Bureau of Fire Lt. Doug Bair and firefighters Brian Bastinelli and Emanuel Stoute.

She was semi-conscious, but went unconscious during removal," Bastinelli said. "Just judging by where we found her, it looks like she was trying to escape from the fire."

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Once the firefighters got the woman out, EMT's took over and took her to a hospital.

Stoute and Bastinelli were a bit uncomfortable with the attention and wanted us to stress they were just part of a team. "Everybody does their part. Guys come in and put the fire out with their hoses and you got guys that do the rescue. It's just part of doing the search," Stoute said.

Stoute is an 11-year veteran of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire. Bastinelli has been with the bureau for 14 years.

"You definitely get a rush of adrenaline when you find out there's a life directly involved. It's in your hands. You gotta act and act quickly so there's a little extra adrenaline," Bastinelli said.

"Get the people out, that's what we're trained for," Stoute said. That's what we're here for: to make a difference in people's lives."