N.J. Dispatcher Rescues Two From House Fire

June 17, 2014
Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Eric Senialkevgch rescued two neighbors from a house fire Monday.

An off-duty Woodbridge, N.J. police dispatcher rescued two neighbors from a house fire early Monday morning.

Dispatcher Eric Senialkevgch was driving to work around 5L30 a.m. in Carteret when he spotting the blaze at the two-story, split-level home on Capp Street and rushed in, according to WCBS-TV.

Senialkevgch pulled out two people who had been trapped inside the raging inferno that destroyed the residence.

"It's a great feeling," Seniakevgch told the news station. "I saved … two people's lives today."

When the fire began, neighbors ran over and started banging on doors and windows to the home and five residents made it out safely.

As Seniakevgch drove up, residents who had escaped the flames told him two people were still trapped inside.

"I tried to run through the front door to make a quick grab, and it was just too thick of smoke and everything," he said.

The dispatcher went to a basement window and saw people lying on the floor. He pulled the woman safely out through the narrow window opening, but the man wouldn't fit through.

Seniakevgch then grabbed a sledgehammer and broke out the rest of the window and brought him out to safety.

The couple was treated for cuts they received climbing out of the window and are currently recovering.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

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