HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) – A South Florida elderly man is dealing with a profound loss in the wake of a fatal fire.
George Argenio, 86, said he’s feeling emotional after his wife passed away on Thursday in the hospital after their Hollywood apartment unit went up in flames earlier this week.
He described the moments the unit above theirs burst into flames on Tuesday evening.
“Smelled a little smoke, went out in the hall, it was worse there. I told Barbara, ‘I’m going to check,'” he said.
By the time he went to check, the fire was already raging and there was no way he could get back upstairs.
When fire crews arrived, he notified them of his wife who was stuck in their unit.
“I say, ‘My wife’s up in 1101. Here’s my key. It’s hard for her to walk,'” said Argenio.
Firefighters found her and paramedics rushed her to a local hospital.
While she held on strong for two days, Argenio said she ultimately didn’t make it.
“[At] 2 a.m., she couldn’t breathe. She was saying, ‘I can’t breathe,'” he said.
He said nurses took her down to the emergency room, but unfortunately, his wife of 53 years slipped away.
“Took her down to ER. In 20 minutes, she was gone,” he said emotionally.
Officials declared Argenio’s apartment a total loss.
The elderly man says he is heartbroken.
As of Friday afternoon, he is staying on the third floor and getting help from the Red Cross.
He says after spending more than half a century together with his wife, a lot of those years on Hollywood Beach, it will take a lot to recover from the loss.
“Terrible. What a mess,” he said.
A firefighter and police officer were also hospitalized from the fire. They are expected to be OK.
Officials say it could take some time for residents affected by the fire to return to the apartment complex.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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