
Two people are recovering after a “heroic” rescue from a duplex fire in Mechanicsburg on Tuesday afternoon
Mechanicsburg Fire Department Chief Gary Neff said when crews arrived around 5:50 p.m.at the home in the 400 block of West Simpson Street, there was heavy fire coming from the back of the duplex and smoke throughout. As the first unit at the scene, Neff and his firefighters learned a victim was inside the front door and another person missing.
Neff said his crews went to work on the fire but also made a “heroic rescue” of the person inside the building.
“We were able to bring him out,” Neff said. The man was in cardiac arrest when they got to him, but EMS was able to revive him.
The crash, less than 20 minutes from the fire, meant that some units were wrapping up their work on the interstate and were able to get to the house quickly. Units from as far as Shermans Dale, Perry County, made it to the scene and were among dozens of firefighters present.
In the blocks surrounding the fire, residents were taking it upon themselves to help block off any roads leading to Simpson Street, where all the firetrucks needed to be. This meant personally standing on the roads and redirecting drivers or using trash cans to block the road from alleyways in the area.
“We do need a thorough investigation,” Neff said.