NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Early Friday morning, the New Orleans Fire Department received a 911 call of a fire at an occupied three-story duplex at 2326 Short Street.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 6 a.m.
Upon arrival, firefighters noticed a man on the roof of the building calling for help, as flames had begun to extend through the roof in the rear of the dwelling.
Firefighters rescued the 20-year-old man from the flames. The man was also treated for smoke inhalation and transported to a local hospital.
During the search, firefighters were notified by the residents that of the nine people that lived in the duplex
one was unaccounted for. This information, along with the size of the structure, prompted the request for a second alarm at 6:05 a.m.
Not long after a primary search of the building had been completed, the unaccounted-for resident arrived at the scene.
A third alarm was requested at 6:36 am, as the fire continued to spread throughout the second and third floors. Firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to the original fire building despite the close proximity of multi-unit exposed properties to the left and right.
Around 7:30 a.m., NOFD had the fire under control with the help of twenty-one fire units and 57 firefighters.
There was one other injury reported.
An NOFD member working on the scene was transported to the hospital for observation after complaining of chest pains. The cause of this fire is currently under investigation.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.