NORTH GREENBUSH, NY - Neighbors rescued a woman from a second-alarm house fire in North Greenbush Sunday evening, March 20th.

Emergency crews were dispatched just after 5:30 P.M. for a structure fire with reports of entrapment at 30 Brinker Dr. South. First arriving units found a single-family dwelling fully engulfed in flames, according to a report from the North Greenbush Police Department.

“It was quickly determined that the sole occupant had been pulled from the residence by neighbors as 911 was being called,” according to the police report. “The 84-year-old victim was transported to Albany Medical Center and was listed in critical condition at the time of this release.”

Rensselaer County Sheriff’s patrols escorted the ambulance to the hospital. It has since been released that the victim was transported from Albany Medical Center to a burn center in Syracuse.

“North Greenbush fire units made a good stop,” said Assistant Chief Dan Sheehan of the Defreestville Fire Department. Sheehan says gusty winds fed the fire prior to their arrival.

"This area of the town is known for low hydrant pressure,” he said. “We overcame it and it was resolved.” The North Greenbush Emergency Services operated as a well-oiled machine and got the fire knocked down in approximately 40 minutes.

The neighbors were praised for rescuing the woman from the burning home.

"They entered the house with no equipment and faced incredible smoke and heat, yet they were able to find her and get her out of the house where she could be tended to by EMS," said Chief David M. Keevern in the police report. "We don’t condone people putting themselves at risk unnecessarily, but this is one of those situations where time was of the essence and it resulted in giving this woman a chance to survive."

Defreestville, Wynantskill, East Greenbush, Clinton Heights, Best Luther, West Sand Lake and Poestenkill fire companies were on scene or on standby.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Rensselaer County Cause and Origin Investigation Team and North Greenbush Police, however, the fire appears to be accidental, police said.

The neighbors that rescued the woman suffered no injuries, and there were no injuries reported from any firefighters on scene.