Alexandria Fire: Elderly couple rescued from 2-alarm blaze; 3 taken to hospital

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - An elderly couple was rescued from a two-alarm fire in Alexandria after an alert worker in the neighborhood went in and led them to safety Friday morning, according to officials.

The blaze was reported at about 11 a.m. in the 3300 block of Valley Drive in the Fairlington area of the city.

A plumber who was working nearby spotted the flames. He and other maintenance workers jumped into action to help those who were inside to get out. One man was seen helping an elderly woman escape the building.

"He just got her down the steps. He was carrying her in his arms and he got her down," witness Juan Oliver described. "The fire started so fast. At first, it was just a lot of smoke but then it just went up in flames."

Firefighters told FOX 5 that three people, an elderly couple and a man who went in to help them, had been taken to the hospital. Their conditions were not released but they were alert and talking when being taken to the hospital, according to officials.

"It sounds like a worker was able to notify them, bring them outside and also notify several other residents to alert them there was a fire," Alexandria Assistant Fire Chief David Povlitz explained. "Their actions definitely helped people exit the structure and that's the safest place."

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.