PITTSFIELD — A Pittsfield police officer is being hailed as a hero after his alert response to a house fire early Saturday morning saved the lives of seven residents.
Officer Michael Doyle, while on patrol duty just after 1 a.m., spotted smoke rising from a residential area east of the downtown corridor.
Acting swiftly, Doyle contacted dispatch and proceeded to the scene at Fenn and Third St., where he discovered the ground floor of a duplex at 11 Third St. ablaze.
Doyle immediately notified dispatch and woke the sleeping occupants, ensuring all seven safely exited the building.
The Pittsfield Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and extinguished the flames.
The residents, though shaken and faced with property loss, avoided any injuries thanks to Doyle’s quick actions.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Pittsfield Fire Department.
Meanwhile, the displaced residents are arranging alternative accommodations.
Officer Doyle’s decisive actions have been commended by the police department for preventing what could have been a tragic outcome.
