Woman rescued from burning home

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A 74-year-old woman was pulled from her burning home, but firefighters described it being more like a maze.

We spoke with fire officials on scene who have some important advice for you in case something like this should happen to you.

At this point, fire officials have said it's going to take awhile for them to find out what started the flames, and that's because of all the clutter they faced inside the home.

Fire crews turned onto Alaska St. in Dayton after 9:30 p.m.

When they pulled up to the home, people outside told them they'd tried to get the woman out themselves.

"She's a friend, got to help her out," says Jeff Adams, one of a group of people who tried to rescue the woman.

Firefighters hurried to cut the window out.. but things became tough as they felt their way through the dark home.

"They'd slip on books and magazines on the floor," says Dayton Fire Department Asst. Chief Jeff Payne. "It really compounded the situation and made it a lot harder than what it was."

Once she was rescued, the woman was quickly taken to Miami Valley Hospital.

Another thing that gave firefighters a tough time was the condition of the woman's yard. Trees and bushes were so overgrown that creating a clear path was difficult.

Fire officials say you should always keep your yard in a condition that is easy for emergency crews to maneuver, should anything like this happen to you.

Chief Redden also said a firefighter was checked out by a medic on scene for exhaustion.

At last check, the woman was in serious condition.