Elderly Bay Shore woman rescued in apartment fire
November 4, 2008
An elderly woman was rescued from a fire yesterday by two workers who kicked in her Bay Shore apartment door and pulled her to safety, officials said.
"I wouldn't want to guess what would have happened if they weren't there," said Bay Shore Fire Department Chief Bryan Butler. "In my opinion, she's very lucky they were there."
Doris Foster, 80, of June Court, in Bay Shore, was first taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and then transferred to the burn unit at Stony Brook University Medical Center. She was seriously injured in the blaze, with second and third degree burns, police said. Her rescuers, Lou Cirota, 46, of Bay Shore and William Zelezny, 65, of Massapequa Park, were not seriously injured.
"My partner went over to see what it was, and saw fire," Cirota said. "We tried to get the door open, and ended up, we had to kick the door open. We found the woman on the floor."
The apartment was engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Cirota said his beard was burned slightly by the fire, and Zelezny's was singed slightly, as they helped the woman out of her first-floor apartment.
Moments later, police arrived and they, along with Cirota and Zelezny, went to the apartment above hers, knocked on that door, and got the unaware occupant out of the shower and, covered only by a towel, out of the building, Cirota said.
Butler said about 75 responding firefighters from his and three other fire departments were able to put out the fire in about 15 minutes, and limit damage to the two apartments. There are 16 units in the apartment building, he said. Foster's pet cat died in the apartment, Butler said. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but does not appear suspicious, he said.
Zelezny said nothing they did yesterday was worth all the attention.
"We did what we're supposed to do," he said. "That's all."
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