Provided/A woman was injured Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 in a fire at her converted motel unit condo.
MARGATE A woman was injured during the early morning hours Thursday, Feb. 20 in a two-alarm fire at her second-floor converted condominium motel unit located at 9401 Pacific Ave. Her pet cat was rescued by firefighters after several attempts and is staying with Deputy Chief Pat Armstrong's mother.
According to Fire Chief Dan Adams, firefighters responded to a 911 call from the downstairs neighbor at 3:14 a.m. Lt. Brad Eissler arrived on-scene, established command and put out a second alarm, which summoned Ocean City and Ventnor City Fire Departments.
It was reported that the occupant of the former Thunderbird Motel unit was able to escape the fire and alert her downstairs neighbor who called 911.
Firefighters Perry Coker and Hunter Pizagno stretched a line to attack the fire and made entry to the unit, quickly extinguishing the blaze, which started in the living room area, Adams said.
Firefighters Danyl Loyle and Cameron Fickling-Rone assisted the victim, who was suffering from burn injuries and smoke inhalation. She was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City where she was treated and later transported to Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia for specialized care.
Firefighters made several attempts to find the missing cat, which was located under a bed in the attached bedroom.
The crew from Longport assisted with ventilation and Ocean City was recalled, while Ventnor City Fire Department covered the station.
Adams declared the fire under control at 3:51 p.m. and the department stayed on the scene until 6:30 a.m. A subsequent inspection of the building revealed some smoke and water damage to adjacent and downstairs units.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but appears to be accidental, Adams said.
Residents are reminded to contact the Fire Department if they need any assistance with the installation of life-saving smoke and CO detectors. Call 609-822-5562.
