Boston firefighters rescue quadriplegic man whose bed caught fire

Boston firefighters saved a quadriplegic man whose bed caught fire in a single-family home Friday night, an official said.

Crews responded to a residential building at 57 Fenwood Road, located near Brigham and Women’s Hospital, shortly after 7 p.m., after someone pulled a street box, said Boston fire spokesman Brian Alkins.

Smoke was showing from a two-and-a-half story structure on arrival. Inside the home, firefighters found a man, believed to be in his late 30s, in his bed, which was on fire. The man was not been able to get out of the bed and used a machine to communicate, said Alkins.

“The guy’s bedding was on fire,’’ he said.

Firefighters doused the blaze using hoses and sprinklers had also activated in the building, said Alkins.

Alkins estimated that 10 minutes passed from when the call came to when the fire was put out. A malfunctioning air conditioning unit, located next to the bed, is thought to have sparked the fire, he said.

The man suffered minor burns to his head and was taken to a local hospital. He is expected to survive, said Alkins.

Map: Location of fire

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