Wayne Neighbor Pulls Man From Burning Home Just in Time

Alex Fuentes had just arrived home with his wife in Wayne, New Jersey, when they heard an alarm blaring down their quiet street. His wife spotted smoke pouring from a neighbor's house, and Fuentes knew an elderly man lived there alone.

While his wife called 911, Fuentes ran toward the burning home on Brookwood Drive. He knocked, opened the front door, and shouted into the smoke-filled darkness.

"It was smoky in there," Fuentes said. "I called out to him, and he was able to respond, kind of groaning a little bit."

Fuentes, an off-duty Belleville firefighter, made his way through the thick smoke toward the sound. The man couldn't walk, so Fuentes physically pulled him through the front door and onto the lawn moments before first responders arrived.

Chief Barry Turner of Wayne Fire Company #5 was nearby with his son, an off-duty Paterson firefighter, when the call came in at 5:45 pm on April 21. When they arrived, they found the rescued man already on the lawn receiving help from neighbors.

"What I heard was a good Samaritan neighbor had run into the house to get him out," Turner said. "The neighbors had already had him on the lawn giving him assistance."

Wayne volunteer firefighters from companies #1, #3, and #5 responded to the scene. Dark smoke poured from the eaves and front door as firefighters entered the home to battle the blaze and ensure no one else was trapped inside.

Chief Mike Gough of Fire Company #3 described a terrifying scene. "You had heavy smoke coming out the front door," he said. "Upon entry, the smoke was bent down to the floor and the fire was going across the ceiling in the kitchen."

Volunteers from Wayne's first aid squad treated the elderly man for severe smoke inhalation, stabilized him, and transported him to St. Joseph's Hospital. Later that night, Chief Turner heard the man was in stable condition.

Sunny's Take

This story captures everything beautiful about community. Three firefighters happened to be in the right place at the right time, but they weren't in uniform or on duty when they sprang into action.

Fuentes didn't think twice about running into a smoke-filled house to save his neighbor. The Turner father-and-son team immediately took command of a chaotic scene. And dozens of volunteer firefighters dropped everything to respond.

"I'm just happy to be able to help people," Gough said. "God forbid that people need help, but we're here to help them."

No firefighters were injured, and investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. Thanks to quick-thinking neighbors and dedicated volunteers, an elderly man is alive and recovering today.