A man is lucky to be alive after firefighters rescued him from toxic smoke and high heat during a Brooklyn house fire.
The blaze broke out just at 11:15 a.m. on Aug. 12 on the second floor of 681 East 83rd Street in Canarsie, a private three-story residence. Firefighters on scene found the victim while crawling past heavy fire and smoke while conducting a primary search of the residence.
FDNY personnel initially were met by a faulty fire hydrant, delaying extinguishing efforts, but ultimately used three hose lines to knock back the fire. Several firefighters cut off security bars for firefighter egress and safety purposes.
The victim was rushed to Brookdale Hospital in critical but stable condition. Another resident of the building suffered minor injuries as a result of the fire. The fire was placed under control at 11:58 a.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the FDNY Fire Marshal.