Firefighters made rescues at two fires in Manhattan on March 5 and 6 - ranging from a 90-year-old woman on the east side to a 2-month-old infant on the west side.

On the east side, firefighters were called at 9:53 p.m. to a fire on the fourth floor of a 10-story residential building on 54th Street.

When Firefighter Joseph Barone from Ladder 2 tried to force open the door of the fire apartment, he said he was unable to open it wide enough to allow units inside to fight the fire.

At that time, Capt. Kevin Harrison of Ladder 2 said, “The fire was really starting to dance toward us.” So Firefighter Barone squeezed through the opening and closed the door behind him, locating an elderly woman laying unconscious just inside the doorway.

“It was jet black inside and there was high heat, but we had a job to do and we made sure we got it done,” said Firefighter Barone.

He moved her enough to allow his fellow firefighters to open the door and carry her to the floor below, where members of an engine company performed CPR.

She was transported to the Burn Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition by EMS members. Three others also were transported to area hospitals in stable condition.

Just hours later - at 1:38 a.m. - firefighters on the west side of Manhattan were called to a fire on the third floor of a six-story residential building on Ninth Avenue.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they saw heavy fire and six residents trapped on the fire escape.

“The people were panicking, but the firefighters in the bucket reassured them that they were going to be rescued,” said Capt. Paul Lawlor of Ladder 21, whose members also responded to the plane crash on the Hudson River in January.

Firefighters were able to pull all the residents to safety, including a 2-month-old baby. In all, nine victims were transported to area hospitals in stable condition by EMS members.

Fire marshals are investigating the cause of both fires. They determined the east side fire was accidental and the west side fire was suspicious.