Omaha Firefighters rescued several people from a burning apartment building near 32nd and Arbor around 5:30 Monday morning.
Battallion Fire Chief Mark Driscoll tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB there were flames shooting from the front of the building when the arrived. "Crews did an aggressive attack, laddered the building. Took three people out the backside and two people out the front."
One person was taken to the hospital in critical condition. A dozen other residents were forced outside into the sub-zero temperatures. "People were outside with inadequate clothing. They were getting cold quick but we got a lot of medic units enroute," Driscoll says. "Got them inside, kept them warm and gave them blankets."
Driscoll says the bitterly cold weather created challenges for firefighters. "With the water, we're trying to take occupants out of the building on a ladder covered in ice. It can be tricky. It's hazardous to both firefighters and the occupants."
Eventually, a Metro bus was called to the scene to keep the residents warm. The Red Cross is assisting the residents. The cause of the fire is not yet known.