A residential building in Auburn was reported to be on fire at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. A neighbor of the residence made the call, reporting the residence to have flames coming from the back of the house and heavy black smoke coming from the front doors and windows.
Officer Paul Flickner was in the area at the time of the call and arrived within two minutes of the fire being reported. Upon arrival, a neighbor of the residence informed Flickner that he opened the front door and in doing so, dogs ran out of the house. He said he was not sure if the resident of the home was still inside.
Flickner went to the front entrance of the home, announced himself and yelled to anyone inside. A male resident appears to have been asleep before the officer’s arrival. The resident is reported to have began panicking and yelling for help.
Flickner entered the residence in an attempt to rescue the man, who was disoriented and yelling that he was upstairs. Due to smoke inhalation, Flickner was unable to reach him. At about this time, Deputy Kelley from the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene.
A neighbor alerted law enforcement to a first-floor window where he could see the sole occupant of the house inside. Deputy Kelley, Officer Flickner and the neighbor successfully pulled the occupant out the window.
Auburn Fire Department arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and began extinguishing the fire. The occupant was escorted to an arriving Auburn City Ambulance where he was treated on scene. Officer Flickner was also treated on scene by Auburn City Ambulance members.
As of 7:00 p.m., the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update as more information is made available.
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