Woman Jumps To Safety From Burning Apartment Building
MERRIMAC (CBS) – A woman jumped to safety from the second floor of a burning Merrimac apartment building on Friday morning.
Flames broke out around 8 a.m. at Greenleaf Park, a multi-building apartment complex.
Resident Marilyn Judson said she heard the fire alarm and went to check on what was happening when she saw smoke pouring from another building.
"We heard a woman yelling 'help me' up on the second floor. Everybody coaxed her to get out," said Judson.
"She was shaking and she was scared. She was scared to death."
The woman jumped into the waiting arms of a police officer and second person.
"She had no choice. She threw open the window and started climbing," said neighbor Paige Ouellette.
"Jump or stay in a burning building, so you have no choice," said Kimberly Deserres.
A police officer and a neighbor broke the woman's fall as she landed safely.
The fire caused significant damage to the impacted building.
Five people were displaced by the flames.
One woman was hospitalized with an ankle injury that is not considered serious.
Judson and other residents felt fortunate that the damage was not worse.
"It was one of the scariest thing we ever could have experienced," she said.