ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After an apartment fire left one dead and several critically injured, Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) is revealing what happened during the rescue. This comes from a podcast series where firefighters reflect on key moments from major fire incidents.
It was a Thursday, April 3, when an apartment in the International District went up in flames. AFR answered the call where three people were trapped in the building. “This is a boarded-up structure, so that presents a whole other unique set of challenges when trying to get people out of a building that’s on fire,” said Lieutenant Jason Fejer, spokesperson for Albuquerque Fire Rescue.
It turns out the apartment was supposed to be vacant, but people were living there were getting in and out of the place through a broken window. AFR got everyone outside, but one of them died from the flames, and the others were critically injured. The fire had firefighters talking about it for months. AFR podcast “Tailboards” recently posted a video recapping the event.
Fejer said the podcast is for critical fire cases they share with their firefighters and the public. “It’s just a way for us to kind of review the event, critique ourselves, and then again, try to have a better response for the next time we face something like that,” said Fejer.
AFR Captain Matt Bodle, who responded to the call, said the rescue was difficult. “The two who were by the front door were kinda piled up on each other, probably trying to get out the exit. There was a lot of hoarder-like conditions in there was shopping cart behind the door,” said Bodle.
Captain Bodle said that while originally looking, they missed a victim due to the smoke blocking vision at eye level. “If I can stand, why not? But you gotta think where the victims gonna be on the ground, they are not gonna be standing up,” said Bodle. He adds that the rescue was successful, given that everyone was taken out within ten minutes. “It’s a rare career fire. You know I’ve been a firefighter not just for this organization but another for 18 years, and I’ve never pulled a victim out of a fire.”
The apartment has been shuttered by code enforcement since the fire. The cause is still under investigation.
