A mother and her 7-year old daughter were pulled from their burning apartment in Somers this morning thanks to the quick thinking of several passersby.
One of them was Fred Levesque, of nearby Stafford Springs, who was passing through Somers en route to a fitness center for a morning workout. While he would not comment on his contribution, sources tell Fox Connecticut Levesque ran up the back stairs of the residence, which contains four apartments. When he opened the door, he was blown backwards and forced to the ground by thick, black smoke that rushed out.
The source said Levesque called on his knowledge from fire safety classes as a child, and he dropped to the ground and crawled into the second floor apartment where the fire was believed to have started. Not being able to see anything, he yelled to see if any occupants remained. One voice called out.
After moving in that direction, he still couldn’t see anyone, and asked for the person to grad his hand, if they could see him. That’s when 7-year old Kerra Colgan grabbed Levesque’s hand. He then picked her up and carried her to a waiting ambulance.
Colgan’s mother, Katie Reteneller, was rescued by fire crews and had to be intubated to assist with her breathing after suffering heavy smoke inhalation. Both Colgan and Reteneller were initially treated at Bay State Health, in Springfield. But, both were later flown to Boston hospitals for further treatment.
According to sources, Colgan, who is a second grader at Somers Elementary School, suffered burns to her face and chest. She is being treated at Shriner’s Hospital for Children. Her condition is unknown. Meanwhile, her mother is listed in fair condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.
While fire fighters believe the blaze broke out in a bedroom, the cause has not yet bbeen determined.