2 seriously injured in Reading fire

Two people were seriously injured Monday in a fire in Reading.

APARTMENT BUILDING ON HIGHSTREET.THAT’S WHERE NEWSCENTER FIVE’SMATT REED IS LIVE WITH THELATEST.MATT: THE CAUSE OF THIS FIRE ISSTIL UNDER INVESTIGATION.NEIGHBORS SAY FIREFIGHTERS HADTO PERFORM CPR ON MEN AN WOMENAFTER THEY WERE PULLED OUT OFTHE BURNING HOME.RON STEENBRUGGEN: SOMEONE ISSMASHING ON MY DOOR, AND ITHOUGHT I WAS BEING BROKEN INTO.BUT IT WAS THE FIRE DEPARTMENTKICKING IT IN, SAYING, "GET OUT,GET OUT."MATT: IT WAS THE WAKEUP CAMANY RESIDENTS OF 1 HIGH STREETRECEIVED MONDAY WHEN A 4-ALARMFIRE BROKE OUT JUST BEFORE 3:30AT THIS 12-UNIT APARTMENTBUILDING IN READING.JACK JANSEN: THERE’S SMOKEPOURING OUT OF NUMBER 11MATT: NEIGHBOR JACK JANSEN LIVESACROSS THE HALL FROM THETHIRD-FLOOR APARTMENT, WHERE THEFIRE IS BELIEVED TO HAVESTARTED.JACK JANSEN: AND RAN OUT THEBACK DOOR, AND ON THE WAY DOWN,I POUNDED ON EVERYBODY’S DOOR -"GET OUT.GET OUT.THERE’S A FIRE.IT’S A REAL THING."MATT: WHEN READING FIREFIGHTERSARRIVED, THEY SAW FLAMES ANDSMOKE COMING OUT OF THATTHIRD-FLOOR UNIT AND FOUND TWOPEOPLE INSIDE.CHIEF GREG BURNS: AS SOON ASTHEY WENT INSIDE, THEY FOUND THEFIRST VICTIM.THEY BROUGHT THE VICTIM OUT, ANDTHEY CONTINUED THEIR SEARCHINSIDE AND FOUND A SECONDVICTIM.MATT: CPR WAS PERFORMED ON BOTHOF THE VICTIMS, WHO WERE TAKENTO THE LAHEY HOSPITAL ANDEVENTUALLY A BOSTON HOSPITAL ISERIOUS CONDITIOAS FIRE OFFICIALS SEARCH FOR THECAUSE, RESIDENTS SAYINVESTIGATORS NEED TO LOOK ATHE BUILDING’S FIRE ALARMSYSTEM, WHICH RESIDENTS CLAIMHAD PRODUCED FALSE ALARMS OVERTHE YEARS AND CAN GO OFF FOR ASLITTLE AS SOMEONE SLAMMING ADOOR TOO HARD.JODI BEIGHLAY: WE’RE USED TO THEALARMS GOING OFF IN THISBUILDING.JACK JANSEN: THE ALARMS WEREGOING OFF, SO THEY COULD HEATHE ALARMS, BUT THEY WEREN’TMOVING BECAUSE OF HOW THE ALARMSGO OFF IN THE BUILDING.CHIEF GREG BURNS: THE BUILDINGHAS A FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.I’M NOT SURE WHAT THE STATUS OFTHAT WAS AND IF IT WAS SOUNDINGOR NOT.I HAVEN’T GOTTEN THATINFORMATION YET.MATT: THE BUILDING IS OWNED ANDOPERATED BY TRIDENT MANAGEMENT.WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEM FORCOMMENT BUT HAVE YET TO HEARBA