AKRON, Ohio — Two Akron residents and eight police officers were treated at a hospital after fire tore through a duplex on Akron's Arch Street overnight.
Akron firefighters were called to the home just before midnight after receiving multiple reports of a fire and people trapped inside.
When crews arrived, they found heavy fire on the first and second floors of the duplex.
One person was trapped at a third-floor window and was rescued by firefighters using a ladder, according to fire officials.
Three other residents had already made it out of the home before firefighters arrived.
According to Akron Fire Captain Doug King, two residents were taken to the hospital for treatment, while two others refused transport.
Police officers were also involved in the rescue efforts.
King said officers with both Akron Police and Summa Police were at the scene before firefighters arrived and helped get residents out of the burning home.
Officer Bryon Norment with the Akron Police Department was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and has since been released.
"This was kind of a crazy one," Officer Norment told News 5. "We’re just running down the street and the house is on fire."
Norment said he was outside the home guiding a resident away from the fire when a plume of smoke appeared.
Hear from Officer Norment here:
"We turned to walk away and this big cloud of smoke passes over my shoulders and took a deep breath at the wrong time and started hacking up a lung," he said.
Seven Summa police officers also went to the hospital to be evaluated for possible smoke inhalation.
"All eight staff members were treated at the hospital and released early this morning," a spokesperson with Summa Health said. "We are incredibly grateful that everyone involved made it out of the fire safely. The courage and swift action displayed by our Protective Services team was nothing short of heroic. Their willingness to go above and beyond to protect others is a testament to their dedication and professionalism. Summa Health is proud to have such exceptional individuals serving our community."
Firefighters also rescued two dogs from the home.
Both dogs were unconscious when they were brought outside, but paramedics were able to initially revive them.
However, Akron Fire announced later in the day Wednesday that one of the dogs has since died.
Because firefighters were not initially certain everyone had escaped, crews made an aggressive interior search of the duplex.
No additional victims were found. No firefighters were injured.
King said the fire was burning heavily throughout the structure and that crews were faced with a challenging rescue situation.
"The unusual thing here is with the amount of victims, the amount of rescues that we made, everyone is in stable condition and doing well," King said. "That's a win for us."
The American Red Cross is assisting the four adults displaced by the fire, as well as their two dogs.
It is not yet clear whether the home had working smoke detectors.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
