By Laura French
NEW YORK — Two people were rescued from an all-hands house fire on Wednesday, one of whom was carried out by an off-duty FDNY EMT.
EMT Daniel Marcano was in his backyard when one of his neighbors alerted him to a fire in the neighborhood, according to a Facebook post by the FDNY. Marcano arrived at the burning house, and when he realized there were people inside, he kicked down the door and found one of his neighbors about 7-10 feet inside the smoke-filled dwelling.
Marcano carried out the neighbor, who told them a friend was still inside. FDNY firefighters had arrived on the scene, and the EMT alerted them that there was another person in the burning home.
“It all happened so fast, but it felt like second nature. I knew anyone in my position would have done the same thing,” Mercan said in a statement.
The second person was rescued from the second floor of the house by FDNY Lt. John Norman. Norman closed the door in the room they were in to isolate the smoke and broke open a window for more air, bringing the person out when it was safe.
“Everything went perfectly. Our communication with each other was perfect and everyone knew exactly what they needed to do. This is the best outcome for this operation,” Norman said in a statement.