LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — A man has been hospitalized after a fire broke out inside a third-floor apartment at a high-rise building on Ontario Street in Lockport on Wednesday.
Lockport Fire crews responded to a fire alarm activation around 7 p.m. Firefighters were sent to apartment 304, where they found heavy smoke conditions in the hallway and a bedroom fire inside the unit.
Crews were able to quickly contain it to the bedroom, preventing the fire from spreading to other apartments.
A resident of the building, Samme, says he acted quickly and followed instructions.
"The fire alarm in this building goes off all the time," Samme said. "But never was it like this, where they announced for everyone to evacuate except the third floor. They wanted the third-floor residents to shelter in place."
WATCH: Man hospitalized after third-floor apartment fire in Lockport
Despite being told to stay, Samme says they evacuated after noticing smoke spreading through the building.
"I packed up everything I could grab and left," Samme said. "The fire was on the third floor, but the smoke was already all the way up on the eighth floor."
Firefighters say a man was found inside the apartment with severe burns. He was taken to Lockport Hospital and later transferred to ECMC, where he remains hospitalized.
Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano told me the victim suffered second and possibly third-degree burns to much of his body, including his face, arms, chest and back.
Chief Quagliano says the building's construction and alarm system played a critical role in containing the fire and protecting other residents. Crews remained on the scene for more than an hour, ventilating the smoke and checking apartments for any extension.
Residents were allowed to return to their apartments later that night. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
