1 injured in New Fairview fire

One person was critically injured in a structure that broke out in a manufactured home in New Fairview Friday morning. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER

One elderly female was injured in a structure fire that broke out in the 300 block of Latham Lane in New Fairview Friday morning.

At approximately 8:30 a.m., the fire started in the bedroom of a manufactured home. The female patient, who was disabled, was able to escape from the flames into the living room but unable to exit the structure under her own power due to a locked front door.

According to Wise County EMS Administrator Randall Preuninger, a neighbor saw the flames and opened the door, but could not safely remove the victim because of heavy smoke and fire.

“Medic 4 arrived on scene and went in and found her in the living room. Both guys on Medic 4 were able to get ahold of her and drag her out of the house,” Preuninger said.

AirEvac Lifeteam 68 and PHI Air Medical could not transport the victim via air ambulance because of the weather. Wise County EMS transported the female via ground ambulance to Medical City Plano’s burn center.

Preuninger said that the patient was in critical condition, but believes she will survive.

New Fairview, Rhome and Decatur Fire Departments, as well as Wise County EMS, responded to the fire. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER

“In this particular case, the crew opted to attempt a rescue and they were successful, but it’s obviously a very dangerous situation,” he said. “When they pulled up on scene, there was heavy fire coming out of the front windows, and the amount of smoke makes it that much more dangerous. Trying to get in there and locate someone is pretty amazing actually.”

According to New Fairview Fire Chief Arne Wissman, Medic 5 was called to assess two firefighters experiencing dehydration. No other first responder injuries were reported.

New Fairview Fire Rescue, Rhome Fire Department, Decatur Fire Department and Wise County EMS worked the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Wise County Fire Marshal’s Office. 

The home will likely be considered a total loss, but some of the contents inside are salvageable, Preuninger said.

A PayPal account has been set up to help the family with recovery efforts here.