A dramatic fire rescue was caught on camera after a man got trapped inside his top floor Brooklyn apartment, and firefighters came to his rescue.
Flames could be seen shooting out of the window of the Park Slope apartment just after 6 a.m. Tuesday, CitizenApp video showed. As the fire raged, a naked man was clinging to the ledge of the building, screaming for help — and even though people could hear his cries, they couldn't see him due to all the smoke.
But the man proved difficult to reach as he was on the backside of the building, and firefighters had to use a rope to get to get to him. Firefighter Patrick Gale dropped down and scooped up the man, video showed, and the pair then repelled to the ground.
"He told me he was going to set up. Training kicked in. Lowered, coming to get him. Everything went smoothly," said Gale, adding that the man was "happy and thankful" as they made their way down.
The dramatic rescue went down as the fire continued to grow, with firefighters on the building's fire escaping continuing to douse the flames while those who lived inside scrambled to get out.
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"We saw smoke coming in our room and we rushed out because we were really scared," said resident Olivia Wong.
It took crews about an hour to put out the blaze, with flames contained to just the fourth-floor apartment. Nine other units in the building had water damage.
Around midday on Tuesday, fire marshals and others arrived to look for cause but said it was too soon to make any determinations. However, officials said they know it was sparked in the kitchen.
The victim, who has not been identified, was treated for some cuts and bruises at the hospitals, but is expected to be OK. No other injuries were reported.
An investigation into the fire is ongoing.
