PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — A 71-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were taken to the hospital after a fire Wednesday in Pawtucket.
The fire started around 9 a.m. at a home on Ballston Avenue, according to Pawtucket police.
Heavy smoke was seen pouring from the home. Neighbors told 12 News the smoke was so bad at first that it was hard to pinpoint where it was coming from.
Witnesses said there were people inside the home when the fire broke out, so that’s what firefighters were focused on.
“[There] was like an 11- or 12-year-old boy that came out, he got rushed to the hospital,” Gwendolen McGlinchey recalled. “I want to say the other was about 16ish, he was the only one I was able to speak to about what was happening.”
“From what he told me, nobody was on the first or second floor, they were all on the third floor sleeping,” she added. “Grandma was pushing them out of the window and she got stuck up in the house.”
Images submitted to 12 News by McGlinchey show people escaping from the top floor of the home.
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Pawtucket police said the 71-year-old woman is in critical condition, while the 12-year-old boy suffered minor injuries.
The American Red Cross responded to the scene, but it’s unclear at this time how many people they are assisting.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help the two displaced families.
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