Firefighters Reunite with Woman They Saved from Fire

Racquel Margary heard a knock on her door in the evening of March 27, alerting her that there was a fire in her building.

Fire was blowing out the windows of the third floor of her 26-floor apartment building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and even though Ms. Margary lives on the 25th floor, thick smoke was traveling up the elevator shafts and stairwells, settling in the upper floors.

She said doesn’t remember much more of that evening, but Firefighters Kevin McCormick and Keith Johnson of Ladder 6 filled in the details.

They and other members of Ladder 6 and Ladder 18 rescued several people from the three-alarm fire that evening, and on June 11, they were reunited with Ms. Margary at the quarters of Ladder 18.

“It’s gratifying to meet her today,” said Firefighter McCormick. “It’s great to realize I made a difference.”

As Ms Margary, 74, arrived at the firehouse, the members rushed to her side, giving her hugs and joking, “you look a lot better than the last time we saw you.”

“It’s unbelievable, I owe my life to you,” Ms. Margary said, patting the firefighters on the arm.

But Firefighter Johnson was quick to reply, “We were just happy we were there and we didn’t give up.”

Firefighters from Ladder 18 arrived on the scene 1 minute, 10 seconds after the incident was first reported at 7:35 p.m. and immediately began searching the fire apartment.

Minutes later Ladder 6 arrived and Firefighters McCormick and Johnson began climbing to the roof to begin clearing smoke from the stairwells.

When they got to the 21st floor, they paused for a moment and said they heard someone moan. Although visibility was limited due to the smoke conditions, the firefighters located the unconscious victim on the stairs between the 21st and 22nd floors.

They also noticed two other victims during the search and radioed for backup.

Firefighters dragged Ms. Margary into the back bedroom of a nearby apartment and the firefighters gave her their air masks to assist with her breathing.

Firefighters Christian Murphy and Jason Cruz arrived quickly and located the two other unconscious victims, one lying on top of the other. They dragged both to the same apartment as Ms. Margary to get clean air.

“We worked like crazy that night, it was a tough job,” said Firefighter Murphy.

Ms. Margary was taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center with smoke inhalation and repertory burns. The other two victims found by Ladder 6 were taken to area hospitals by EMS, sadly one did not survive.

Captain Stephen Corcoran of Ladder 6 said that he was proud of all FDNY members at the fire that night.

“Their professionalism and dedication shone through,” he said. “They went the extra distance and I’m proud of them.”

Fifteen civilians and 30 firefighters were injured in the fire, which was put under control at 9:10 p.m. Fire marshals determined the cause to be an electric power strip.

Ms. Margary, the grandmother to four boys, made sure to tell her rescuers that now “[my grandsons] all want to be the firefighters who saved me.”