JOHNSTOWN - Two Fulton County sheriff's deputies rescued a woman from her burning downtown apartment house this morning.
Johnstown Fire Chief Bruce Heberer said fire broke out between 5 and 6 a.m. today at a two-story, wood-frame apartment house at 324 W. Main St.
He said sheriff's Deputies Mike Thomas and Todd Emery - who happened to be passing by in separate vehicles - both spotted the burning building, called 911 and stopped.
"Flames were coming out of the front of the house," Heberer said.
Undersheriff Kevin Lenahan said this morning that Thomas was starting his shift around that time and Emery was headed home from the night shift.
Heberer said the officers broke down the front door and got first-floor occupant Joan Hammond - the only occupant in the house at the time - out of the burning dwelling without injury.
The chief said city firefighters got the fire under control fairly quickly. Firefighters were at the scene one to two hours after the fire, spraying hot spots.
The white building was charred throughout the second floor and attic area.
A shaken Hammond stood across the street from her home in a pink bathrobe and was comforted by son, Jeremy Hammond, minutes after firefighters put out the fire. She said she was sleeping when the fire began.
"An off-duty sheriff's deputy was going home and broke down the front door," Hammond said. "There were flames in the living room."
Hammond, who has lived at the apartment house since June, said an upstairs tenant - Leann Sager and her son - had been away for a couple of weeks. She said flames engulfed the second floor.
Heberer at the scene said his department hadn't yet determined the cause of the blaze. Deputy fire coordinators were also at the scene conducting an investigation shortly after the fire was extinguished.
Heberer said the building is uninhabitable and the occupants were due to be assisted by the American Red Cross.
By late morning, Jeremy Hammond said the Red Cross had contacted his mother, who will be staying with a family member.
