SALINA -- Two Onondaga County Sheriff's Sergeant's rescued a woman from a house fire Sunday in the Town of Salina. The deputies were responding to a house fire at 313 Elbow Road, near Route 11 when they saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the kitchen area.
At the scene, the authorities were told 4 people, including a three week old baby were able to escape the fire, but Nancy Adragna, 96, was trapped in her bed, inside. The deputies ran through the flames and managed to get the woman out of the house through a window. The smoke and flames had become so intense, they had to go out the same window as well. The hero deputies are identified as Sergeant's Crayg Dykes and Jeremy Young.
The Sheriff's office says its preliminary investigation shows that grease on the stove may have been a contributing factor to the fire.
Nancy Adragna was not injured and refused medical treatment. The other occupants of the residence, Richard McKinstry, 65, Lynn McKinstry, 51, Matthew McKinstry, 30 and Reagan McKinstry, 3 weeks old, were not hurt.
Sergeant's Dykes and Young were treated at the scene by Mattydale Fire Department members for smoke inhalation. Sgt. Dykes suffered a minor burn to his forearm.
Elbow Road was closed off so crews could work to put out the flames and make sure everyone was safe, and neighbors who were home at the time had a front row seat to the action.
"The first thing I saw was smoke coming out the front door," Craig Procopio, who lives two houses away from the McKinstrys, said. "Then [the smoke] started coming out the two top windows and next thing I know all the fire trucks arrived."
Judy Romany, who also lives on Elbow Road, said, "It was just a lot of chaos. There were a lot of fire trucks...people running in and out of the house...there was smoke coming out of the top of the house and out of the front door. It was enough to see and smell."
