An elderly man was critically injured and two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out Saturday morning at a house in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
The police officers, who were in the area, responded to the Holman Street blaze around 10 a.m. after hearing cries for help from the man, who is in his 80s.
According to Fitchburg Police, the officers inhaled smoke when they pulled the man from a window.
The resident, who has not yet been identified, was taken to the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he is in critical condition. His wife, who is in her 60s, escaped the fire.
The officers were treated and released from Leominster Health-Alliance.
The man tried to rescue his dog and was trapped. Unfortunately, the animal was killed in the fire.
Officials believe the cause of the fire was electrical. It is not being considered suspicious, but police continue to investigate.
