ROCHESTER, N.H.

Principal saves 10-year-old who fell through the ice

An elementary school principal in New Hampshire jumped into a frozen river to save a 10-year-old student who fell through the ice.

Firefighters say that because of Principal Gwen Rhodes’ quick action, Andrew Brown was in the Cocheco River for just a few minutes. He fell through the ice Wednesday outside the Gonic School in Rochester.

Rhodes said the boy, who has autism, ran away from a teacher and through the woods behind the school onto the frozen river after a morning break. Both the teacher and Rhodes took off after him and saw him come to a stop on a patch of thin ice.

Rhodes says she was able to get to Andrew and use trees along the riverbank to pull them to safety.

AMHERST, Mass.

Firefighters rescue girl stuck in school vending machine

The Amherst Fire Department was called to the local middle school for an unusual rescue: A student got her arm stuck in a vending machine.

Assistant Chief Donald McKay said firefighters were called to Amherst-Pelham Regional Middle School on Thursday to free the girl, who was reaching up and into the vending slot to retrieve a bottle of water that she had paid for, but got stuck.

She was not seriously hurt but complained that her hand was cold from being stuck in the refrigerated section. She refused medical treatment at the scene but her mother brought her to the family pediatrician. McKay did not release the girl’s name.

STAMFORD, Conn.

Investigators hold meeting about Christmas Day fire

Stamford investigators have held a preliminary meeting with a state prosecutor about a Christmas Day fire that killed three young girls and their grandparents

Stamford Fire Lt. Dedrich Hohn said local investigators met Friday with the States Attorney. Hohn said the case is still open and ongoing.

The fire destroyed the $1.7 million Victorian home of New York City advertising executive Madonna Badger and killed her 7-year-old twins, Grace and Sarah Badger, and a 9-year-old daughter, Lily Badger. Badger’s parents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, also died.

Badger escaped along with her friend Michael Borcina, a contractor who had been renovating the house.

Officials have said they want to determine if the house had working smoke detectors.

They say the fire was started by embers in a bag of discarded fireplace ashes.

— From news service reports