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Off-duty Fire Captain Saves Man from Fire

 

Off-duty Fire Captain Saves Man from Fire
Photo courtesy of Todd Maisel, New York Daily News

Captain Ciro Napolitano was in the right place at the right time on January 9, when he was able to save the life of an elderly man from a Brooklyn fire while off-duty.

The captain of Engine 323 was walking with his 9-year-old son, Ciro Jr., on 18th Avenue at around 4 p.m. when he smelled smoke.

He said he saw many people pointing towards the fire but, "they didn’t seem very excited, so I thought it was just a small car fire."

When he saw the fire building at 1780 76th Street, he said he saw heavy smoke pushing out of the third floor windows.

With no other emergency responders in sight, Captian Napolitano said he knew he had to help. Yet, he added, his main concern was his son.

He told the boy to stand in the lobby of the four-story building and not to move while he climbed the stairs to search for victims.

When he reached the third floor, he said thick black smoke was down to the floor. He noticed smoke coming from underneath the doors of two neighboring apartments.

After calling dispatchers to notify them of the fire, he crawled into one apartment that was filled with the thick smoke and saw a man’s feet. The victim was an elderly man who looked dazed and did not want to leave the apartment. Captain Napolitano said although the man resisted, he was able to pull him down the stairs to safety.

He then returned to the fire floor to search the other smoky apartment. He said the door of the apartment was partially open, and the smoke was so thick he had to enter on his stomach.

"I couldn’t even crawl," he said.

After getting about 10 feet inside the apartment, he located the fire. He said the fire was starting to blow over his head, so "I had to back out or get burned."

Once he was able to leave the apartment and close the door, he said he heard firefighters entering the building.

"I called out into the smoke to tell them where the fire was," said Captain Napolitano, giving them detailed directions to the fire.

He then helped them straighten out the hoseline and get it into operation before he left the building with his son.

The whole ordeal only took a few minutes, but Captain Napolitano said he was "happy to help."

The all-hands fire was placed under control at 4:32 p.m.