Dramatic Fire Rescue in the Bronx
In a remarkable act of bravery, two firefighters rescued a man in the Bronx who was stuck with his head protruding about six inches from a third-floor window during a significant apartment fire on Tuesday. This was revealed by one of the FDNY heroes on Friday.
“He was in dire need of assistance. There was no time to waste,” Capt. John Hunt explained regarding the intense rescue on East 187th Street near Belmont Avenue, where the fire unfortunately claimed two lives and injured nearly a dozen others.
During the rescue, the victim expressed his despair, saying, “I can’t do this anymore.” Hunt, who serves with Ladder 56, reassured him, saying, “You’re going to make it.” He and his colleague Tommy Burke worked together to bring the victim to safety.
As hundreds of firefighters worked to evacuate residents from the five-story building, they encountered others who were trapped on the roof or dangling from windows. The brother of the trapped man urgently approached Captain Hunt for help.
“A civilian came and grabbed my arm, insisting, ‘My brother’s trapped, my brother’s trapped,'” said Hunt during a news conference.
His brother pulled him into the neighboring building, where Hunt entered through “Weinschaft Alley” and discovered the man trapped in a shaft on the third floor.
“He was stuck there, with his head sticking out the top of the window,” Hunt noted.
Hunt directed the victim to smash the window while firefighters brought two 24-foot ladders to the scene. The man managed to break the window, though he cut his arm in the process, but he was able to reposition himself.
Then, Burke ascended the ladder, pushed aside the air conditioner, and pulled the victim to safety head first. “He took him out and got him off the ladder,” Hunt remarked.
“I can’t emphasize enough the importance of teamwork in these situations,” he added, highlighting the collaborative effort of all involved.
When the fire broke out around 1:30 p.m., over 270 firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to the nearly 120-year-old building. The outbreak likely started on the first floor.
Deputy Chief Dan Flynn noted on Friday that the fire spread rapidly partly due to several doors being left open throughout the building. “The door to the fire apartment was left open, as were others,” he specified.
He insisted, “If those doors had been closed, the fire might have been contained to that one apartment, and we could have avoided loss of life.” He urged, “If there’s a fire, please make sure to close the door.”
