MANCHESTER, NH– Four teenagers were rescued Saturday from a stalled elevator at the Tru Hotel.
According to a description of the rescue, Engine 11 and Rescue 1 responded to 135 Spring St. at about 9 a.m. on April 6 for a report of occupants trapped in the elevator. Four people were confirmed to be in the elevator which was stalled between the first and second floors.
Engine 11 attempted unsuccessfully to move the elevator to the first floor using the “Firefighter Phase 1” feature, and resorted to using the top hatch of the elevator car to remove the occupants.
Once the power was located and disconnected, Rescue 1 manually opened the outer doors to the elevator shaft on floor #2, removed the top hatch of the stalled elevator car and made contact with the occupants. A ladder was lowered into the elevator car and a belay line was assembled for occupant removal. A member of Rescue 1 entered the elevator car to help occupants put on a harness for removal and to assist them up the ladder while on a belay line. Firefighters assisted the four teenagers out of the top of the elevator car and into the elevator lobby.
No injuries were reported. The rescue operation took about 40 minutes, according to an incident report issued by Battalion Chief Kenneth Proulx.