Man, 72, jumps from second-floor window and extinguishes fire

A 72-year-old Batavia man this morning jumped from the second-floor of his townhouse, broke open a first-floor window and single-handedly extinguished a fire, according to the Batavia Fire Department.

Firefighters were called to Walden Estates, an apartment complex at 337 Bank St., about 3:40 a.m. and arrived to find that the male tenant in Apt. 5 had already extinguished the fire, said Batavia Fire Chief Tom Dillon.

The 72-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman were sitting in the living room, covered in soot at that time, he said. Firefighters helped the couple exit the townhouse.

At some point before firefighters arrived, the man helped the woman down the stairs, Dillon said.

The pair suffered from smoke inhalation and were taken to the United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, where they were treated and released, Dillon said. The man also suffered from cuts on his feet after he stepped on broken glass.

Something woke the couple early today and the man jumped out of a second-floor window, ran around the side of the townhouse and broke open a window using a shovel. He reentered the townhouse and extinguished the fire using water and a five-gallon bucket, Dillon said.

“We were really impressed by the man’s actions,” Dillon said.

The entire townhouse sustained heavy fire damage and moderate heat damage. The living room was charred, he said. Dillon noted that the house is currently not livable.

He added that the smoke detector was not working last night because it had old batteries.

Firefighters are investigating, to determine the cause.