Lexington residents rescued by neighbors, seriously injured in an apartment fire
Two residents of an apartment on Malabu Drive were taken to a local hospital with critical injuries after a fire caused heavy smoke to fill their home, according to the Lexington Fire Department.
The fire department was called to the 800 block of Malabu Drive around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday afternoon for a report of heavy smoke, according to Maj. Derek Roberts. He said upon arrival, emergency crews could see the smoke coming from the apartment where the fire occurred.
The two victims, a man and a woman, were found by neighbors Jeff Bailey and and Bradley Bush, who broke windows and the door to attempt to rescue them.
“The fire department told me not to go in,” Bailey told The Herald-Leader. He said he wasn’t going to wait.
Bush and Bailey attempted to break down the door, but couldn’t. Bailey said he took a fire extinguisher to the glass window, and was able to get in and unlock the door. The victims were found by the men unconscious, laying side-by-side in front of the door. Bush and Bailey carried them out.
According to the men and other neighbors, the victims appeared badly burned. Fire investigators were at the scene later Sunday to determine the cause of the fire, but neither the fire department nor residents know what caused the heavy smoke as of Sunday afternoon.
Some neighbors standing outside of the apartment complex reported they heard a loud explosion.
“I couldn’t tell you what caused that,” Bailey said of the damage.
Kristin Ferrell, another neighbor, said she was going to get a drink when she smelled smoke and looked to see smoke coming from her neighbor’s door. She called 911.
Ferrell said she is close with her neighbor, who is like a mother figure. With smoke damage in her own home, she and Bush plan to stay in a hotel with their dog, Monster.
