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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Suit seeks to overturn Medford's pot ban ... Kids learn life lessons in preparation for auction at Jackson County Fair ... One dam at a time ... Suit seeks to overturn Medford's pot ban ... Kids learn life lessons in preparation for auction at Jackson County Fair ... One dam at a time ... PHOENIX Man saves elderly woman from fire at Phoenix apartment Apartment suffers smoke damage after cigarette ignites mattress Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 25, 2015 at 5:33 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 25, 2015 at 5:33 PM » Social News An elderly man rescued a woman from a Phoenix apartment next to the high school after a smoldering cigarette ignited a mattress Sunday afternoon. “It could have had a tragic outcome,” said Chief Darin Welburn of Fire District No. 5. Firefighters responded at 12:15 p.m., but the fire was already doused with water and a fire extinguisher located just outside the low-income Brookside Rose Court Apartments at 306 Cheryl Ave. Welburn didn’t release the names of the smoke victims, but said they were a man and woman in their mid-60s. The woman, who will be staying with her daughter and has insurance, lived in the apartment and the man visited her frequently, he said. The man and woman were taken to a hospital for evaluation, Welburn said. The extent of the fire damage was confined to the mattress and carpeting, but the apartment did sustain extensive smoke damage, Welburn said. “That fire could have easily doubled in size very quickly,” he said. He said the man, who knew the victim for many years, heard the smoke detector while standing outside and then ran into the smoke-filled apartment, where he helped pull the sleeping woman outside. Once she was safely outside, the man, aided by neighbors, tried to put the fire out. Firefighters told neighbors to leave their apartments for their safety and to avoid smoke inhalation. Welburn said a battalion chief from Medford fire was the first on the scene, and two engines were dispatched from his fire district. “We put some water on the mattress and basically pulled it outside,” he said. The remnants of the mattress along with other items were discarded along a walkway next to the newly renovated apartments, which have older, disabled tenants, who were alarmed by the commotion. “My neighbor came over to me and said, ‘Oh my God, look at the fire,’” neighbor Karen McNaughton said. “I ran outside and saw the smoke.” McNaughton, 57, said the apartment management doesn’t allow smoking on the premises, so many neighbors go to an area next to the school parking lot to smoke. “We were promised a smoking section, and we didn’t get it,” she said. McNaughton and other neighbors said it is difficult for some disabled tenants to go far from their apartments to smoke. Rowena Hudgens, 59, lives next to the apartment where the fire and requires oxygen to help her breathe. “It was really smoky,” she said. “A fellow upstairs came and got me outside. I just went and sat in my car for a while.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him at  www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 25, 2015 at 5:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501