Toledo, Ohio — A devastating fire early Saturday morning left three people hospitalized and eight apartment units destroyed in a Brooke Park Drive building.
Toledo Fire and Rescue Department (TFRD) crews responded to the scene just after 3:30 a.m. on January 25. A Battalion Chief on the scene reported that the fire likely originated in the back of the building, on the second floor.
First responders worked quickly to rescue three individuals trapped inside. Two were pulled to safety and transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Several animals were also safely removed from the building.
The fire resulted in significant damage, rendering all eight units in the building uninhabitable. The American Red Cross was called to provide assistance to displaced residents.
Ray Sternberg, a resident of the building, shared the harrowing details of his escape. He was alerted to the fire by his son, who kicked the screen out of Sternberg’s bedroom window and called for help. Sternberg recounted, “I went in the living room and the whole front door was on fire – he kicked the screen out of my bedroom and police were already here and they pulled me out. I just lost everything and I’m grateful to be alive.”