HOPKINTON, R.I. (AP) – An 80-year-old woman was hailed as a hero Thursday after carrying her 67-year-old neighbor down two flights of stairs to save her from a fire.

Madalene Lindill put Grace Brayman’s arms around her neck and carried her on her back out of their elderly housing complex Wednesday after Brayman accidentally started a fire in her apartment, Hope Valley-Wyoming Fire Chief Fred Stanley said.

“She had to be a spunky little character to do what she did,” Stanley said. “She did a great job.”

Stanley described Lindill as “a small woman.” She told him she had served as an auxiliary firefighter in the 1960s in Plainfield, Conn.

“It seemed as though she knew what she was doing. She was more concerned about helping her friend,” he said.

Fire officials said the blaze started when Brayman, who was wearing an oxygen mask, lit up a cigarette. That caused the mask to ignite, and the fire spread to a chair and carpet. Brayman was the only person hurt and was treated at Westerly Hospital, where she was listed in good condition.

Stanley said Lindill would be getting a department citation, which is given for acts of heroism.