WATERBURY, Conn. — Waterbury firefighters are speaking out after rescuing a man who intentionally set a fire in an attempt to escape what he described as being held captive inside a home.
Captain Jon Paul Oldham was among the first to arrive at 2 Blake Street on Feb. 17, reaching the scene in just two and a half minutes, NBC Connecticut reported. When he arrived, he encountered what he initially believed to be a mother and child in the kitchen. The man, now known to be 32 years old, was found severely malnourished — his condition described by police as life-threatening.
“I saw the mother and, at the time, what I thought was a child,” Oldham recalled to NBC Connecticut. “He was in the fetal position in the kitchen.”
Oldham told NBC Connecticut that there were several strange things about the home, including multiple locks and a room built inside another room, where the man reportedly lived. It took firefighters just nine minutes to extinguish the blaze, which had been set with hand sanitizer and a lighter.
“The door opened to the second room, which was inside of that room. That’s where the main bulk of the fire was,” Oldham said. “We put the fire out there, so it was actually a room that was inside of a room where this victim lived.”
Body camera footage shows Firefighter Gabriel Goja carrying the victim out of the home.
“It’s just a sad situation. I hope he recovers quickly,” Goja said.
Both Goja and Captain Oldham said they’re grateful they were able to help and hope to meet the victim someday.
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