By David Eck
Enquirer contributor

Colerain Township Fire Lt. Hollis Love looks for the cause of a fire at the Heritage Square Condominiums early Thursday. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

COLERAIN TWP. - Trapped on the deck of her third-floor condominium with smoke and flames swirling overhead early Thursday, 89-year-old Marcella Faig anxiously waited for help.

"I kept saying, 'Get me, get me,'" she said. "It was so frightening because it was so dark."

Minutes later the first fire engine arrived, and two firefighters mounted a ground ladder and rescued Faig.

"I couldn't say anything that would praise them as much as they should be praised," said Faig, who later went to the fire station to thank the men personally.

Another resident was led to safety by a bystander. A third person suffered a small hand burn and was taken to Mercy Franciscan Hospital Mount Airy, firefighters said. That person's name and condition were not released. The fire at 3225 Heritage Square broke out about 4:30 a.m.

Faig heard her smoke detector but quickly realized she was trapped by thick smoke.

"I opened the hall door and there was no way I could go out into that hall," she said. "I went out on the deck."

. One unit in the building received heavy fire damage and several others were damaged by smoke and water. The fire caused about $200,000 in damage.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

About a dozen families are temporarily displaced. The American Red Cross was called to assist.

E-mail daveck@fuse.net