Elderly man saved from house fire by passers-by

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — The La Crosse Fire Department was dispatched for a reported fire Thursday morning.

At approximately 7:10 A.M. crews were made aware of a house fire at 2124 19th Street South.

Crews arrived within minutes and found fire showing from the north side of the home. Crews extinguished the fire on the exterior and transitioned to an interior fire attack while conducting search and rescue operations.

The elderly man who lived at the house was assisted by passers-by and was evacuated safely.

“We always want people to be safe, but it says a lot about the community that people aren’t just going to look the other way when somebody’s in need, so we’re very thankful to have people and neighbors who are like that,” says La Crosse Fire Department Division Chief Jeff Murphy.

The La Crosse Fire Department Investigation Bureau is currently on location investigating the cause and origin of the fire.