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Woman rescued from burning apartment building by roommate's daughter

The woman typically uses a wheelchair to get around, and the roommate's daughter knew she had to act quickly.

LANSFORD, Pa. — Flames ripped through an apartment Friday evening in Lansford.

One of the residents in that apartment has a disability and had to be rescued.

Cell phone video shows us what it looked like inside Daniel Dickman's apartment along East Bertsch Street in Landsford after a fire in the kitchen destroyed most of his belongings.

"The whole kitchen, the dining room, the only thing I think that might be salvageable is maybe the living room and my bedroom," Dickman said.

He stepped out around 6:30 p.m. just before the fire started to have a cigarette.

His daughter, Jamie Bauder, was inside at the time with his roommate, who often uses a wheelchair to get around.

Bauder then carried the woman out of the first-floor apartment.

"Instead of taking her walker to get her out, I picked her up and got her out because the smoke came that fast," Bauder said.

Firefighters said everyone in this apartment building here in Lansford was able to make it out safely.

"I called for second alarm right away, which we ended up probably having about 9 companies and probably close to about 75-90 firefighters on scene," Fire Chief Joseph Greco of American Fire Company No. 1 of Landsford said.

For now, Dickman and his roommate will be staying with family.

"I'm just grateful that I'm here. Like I said, had it been a couple minutes later, and my daughter left with my grandson, me and my roommate probably wouldn't even be here," Dickman said.

Firefighters said all the other residents were able to get back into their apartments again Friday evening as there was little smoke or fire damage to any of the other units.

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