Neighbor and police officer help rescue 8 from fire in Penndel, Pennsylvania
A neighbor and a police officer are being celebrated as heroes for helping their neighbors evacuate as flames rapidly spread at a home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.
Fire crews were called to a suburban street in Penndel for a fire at a two-story, single-family home where multiple families were living. Hoarding conditions complicated the firefight, local fire companies said.
The blaze broke out around 4 a.m. just outside the home near the garage. Smoke was still rising from the house after 7 a.m. The home has since been knocked down due to being structurally unstable after the fire damage.
Fire officials determined an unattended outdoor fire pit in the home's backyard was the cause of the blaze. They said the fire ignited flammables nearby and extended to the house. The fire marshal ruled the fire accidental.
Eight people inside the home were able to escape thanks to the selfless actions of not one but two local heroes.
Justin Ritorto left his house for the gym around 4:15 a.m. Thursday, when he smelled smoke and saw flames from a home across the street. He immediately began knocking on his neighbors' doors.
"I banged on the first door, and nobody was answering," he said. "I banged on the second door, the house that was actually on fire. Nobody was answering."
After multiple attempts, Ritorto said he was able to wake one of his neighbors up so they could warn the others inside.
"Everything happened so fast. My heart was going," Ritorto said. "I knew once everybody was awake, I knew that everybody was going to be OK."
At the time, residents were still inside. Fortunately, the Penndel Borough Police Department is directly across the street, and Officer Sean Peck was heading out on a call.
Peck noticed the smoke and flames and went into the home through the heavy smoke and flames to alert residents to the fire.
"The police officer got onto it, and he's the one who started banging on the door," Richard Turner, who was one of the eight people who evacuated the burning home, said. "And then that woke my daughter up on the second floor. She came down and says, 'What?' He says, 'Your house is on fire, get the devil out.'"
Penndel Deputy Fire Chief Sam Simon said the officer was able to get all eight residents out.
"It could've been a lot worse," Simon said.
Peck, who served as an Army Ranger and officer with the Philadelphia Police Department before joining the force in Penndel Borough, said he was just in the right place at the right time.
"I want to live up to what the public expects me to do and what they have entrusted me to do," Peck said.
Firefighters battled windy conditions through the morning, with gusts blowing water around and potentially making it easier for the fire to spread.
The firefight also caused difficulties for Neshaminy School District buses and for drivers. Nearby streets were filled with runoff water that froze into ice.
Richard Turner said he was thankful that everyone in the house escaped safely.
"As grateful as you can be to someone who's saving your life, there's no greater thanks than that," Turner said.
Christine Errigo, a neighbor, said the community is close-knit.
"Anybody in our community, it's sad that this has happened [to them]," Errigo said.
The home is close to Penndel Borough Hall and the Neshaminy Fire Company.
While all residents escaped without major injuries, their pet rabbits did not. It's unclear how many rabbits were inside, but they're all unaccounted for.
The deputy fire chief said it's a very low chance of survival.