Firefighters in Brooklyn Save Man Trapped in Home Fire
Ladder 122
A team of quick-thinking firefighters from Ladder 122 saved the life of a man trapped in a house fire in Brooklyn on Apr. 4.
"They did an unbelievable job," Lt. Vincent LaMalfa said. "I’m so proud of them. I couldn’t ask for more."
Calls were received at around 2 a.m. with reports of fire on the first floor of a 6th Avenue residence.
Firefighters said they could smell the smoke from more than a block away, and when they arrived, they could see an orange glow from two downstairs windows. Two owners of the home, who were standing on the parlor steps, said they believed the man renting the downstairs apartment was trapped in a rear bedroom.
Firefighters David Muccigrosso and Kevin Molinelli forced open the front door to the downstairs residence, then worked to force open the apartment door. They noted that about a quarter of the second door already was burned away and there was heavy smoke inside.
The group attempted to go in to search the residence, but was driven out by the high heat and smoke. They waited for Engine 220 to get water on the fire, and after just a few moments, it was cool enough for them to continue their search.
With zero visibility, they turned left and moved toward the back of the apartment, where they found the bedroom. After crawling about 10 feet into the bedroom, Firefighter Muccigrosso said he heard someone moaning. Moments later, he said he felt the man’s leg.
Firefighter Molinelli then helped him remove the victim, who they said seemed frail and was completely limp. He continued to moan as they rushed to get him out of the home.
"I kept telling him, ‘The Fire Department is here, you’re ok, we’ll get you out,’" Firefighter Muccigrosso said. "I didn’t know if he could hear me or not, but if he could, I wanted to reassure him."
After moving him to the front door, the firefighters passed the victim to members of Engine 279 and EMS, who transported him to New York Hospital in critical condition.
Fire marshals determined the cause of the fire to be a faulty power strip.
"It’s a good feeling to know you may have helped save someone’s life," Firefighter Muccigrosso said. "It worked out well."