WASHINGTON — Three men saved an elderly man from a Northeast fire in the 3000 block of Clinton Street, said DC Fire and EMS in a tweet Monday evening.
Two of the three men have connections with DC's fire department, and all of them live in the same block of Clinton Street where the fire happened.
Deputy Chief Robert Pearson, Retired DC Fire Lieutenant Garry Wiggins, and neighbor Tory Smith were the three men who saved the man from his burning home, said DC Fire and EMS.
The men described that happened when they went to save their neighbor. Explaining how intense and difficult it was to reach the man is was severely injured.
“It was so smoky in there. I couldn’t see in front of my hand. I reached to the ground to try to see if I could feel for anybody. I felt his arm," said neighbor Tory Smith. "As soon as we felt his arm, we all pulled together and pulled him out"
“As soon as we heard moaning, we opened the front door. We were hesitant to open it at first because we didn't want to feed the flames. But, as soon as we heard he was by the front, we opened the door and it was enough space for us to push through and pull him out and get him to safety and get him breathing. When we pulled him out, he had a pulse and was breathing and stuff. He had a bit of burning around his face and legs,” added Smith.
The elderly man has critical injuries and has been taken to a hospital, said DC officials.
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