Fire Department

A woman accidentally became locked in the basement of Villager Mall (2300 S. Park Street) Monday morning and had no telephone at her disposal to call for help. Nobody knew her whereabouts. When she attempted to use the fire escape door, it was found to be rusted shut. She determined her next best exit strategy was to pull the fire alarm.

Ladder Company 6 responded moments later to investigate the alarm. A glance at the alarm’s annunciator panel revealed the location of the pull station that had been activated.

Upon entering the basement, firefighters heard the sounds of someone pounding on a steel door. The crew was able to open the door and free the woman, who’d been trapped for over an hour. She repeatedly apologized for pulling the fire alarm, but she explained there was no other way to call for help.

The woman was uninjured and required no medical attention. Firefighters contacted building maintenance personnel to have them replace the fire escape door right away to ensure it's fully functional in case of an emergency.