Bangor woman in intensive care after rescue from kitchen blaze

BANGOR – A Bangor woman remained in intensive care Tuesday after a firefighter and a paramedic pulled her from her smoke-filled kitchen Saturday morning.

Firefighters went to a call at 8:43 a.m. Saturday at an apartment at 52 Market St. and at first found no sign of fire, according to Assistant Fire Chief Richard Cheverie.

Bystanders at the scene informed the firefighters that there was a fire in Apartment 2 and that a woman still was inside.

Capt. Matt Costello and paramedic Bruce Johnson forced open the apartment door and saw a woman lying on the floor of her kitchen, which was filled with heavy, black smoke.

The woman was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center, where she remained as of Tuesday.

Fire officials declined to release the woman’s name.

Six other people were in the multifamily home when the fire started, but got out safely before firefighters arrived at the scene, according to Cheverie.

The fire was caused by the failure of an extension cord under a bed in the woman’s apartment, officials said. The cord short-circuited, igniting nearby clothes.

The fire was investigated on Saturday by the state Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire did about $10,000 in property damage and $2,000 in content damage, according to fire officials.

Cheverie said Tuesday that the woman’s condition is not known, but that “each hour that goes by is an indication that the person may make it.”