In the movies, the heroic firefighter emerges from the smoky haze of a burning building to deliver a small child into the arms of a grateful mother.
In a Nazareth fire Tuesday, two police officers kicked in the door of a home on Belvidere Street and rescued a sleeping 14-year-old boy. Unlike Hollywood, where the door crashes down in one swift kick, this one needed five or six tries.
"It's not like you see in the movies," said borough police officer Fred Lahovski.
But they couldn't have scripted a better ending.
Lahovski and Upper Nazareth Township police officer Kim Arthur got to the fire shortly after 11:16 a.m., when the first fire call went out. They found smoke pouring from the upstairs bedroom of the home at 318 Belvidere St., one of three connected homes.
Thirty-one-year-old Adam Lenner, who lives at 318 with his parents, was frantically banging on the door of 320, trying to warn his neighbor Karen Rampullo, Lahovski said.
Lahovski and Arthur quickly learned there was a teenager in 322, the third adjoining home. After pounding on the door and failing to rouse anyone, they kicked in the door, ran upstairs, woke up 14-year-old Tyler Smith and got him out, Lahovski said. Smith's parents arrived later and the grateful family was reunited.
"It's what we're here for," Lahovski said. "We're here to serve."
He said firefighters were also able to rescue all the pets from the three homes, a total of four dogs, a bird and a cat. But the house where the fire started was destroyed, said Nazareth Fire Chief Dan Keenhold. He said fire officials were investigating the cause of the blaze.
Lenner, whose parents were on vacation, had just moved back into the house, said Police Chief Michael Sinclair. The two other homes had smoke and some water damage, but Sinclair said he thought they could be salvaged.
Lahovski has made headlines before, While working as a Bethlehem Township officer, he tackled an armed man on a Freemansburg street after hours of tense negotiations on Sept. 26, 2003.
On Tuesday, Lahovski said the firefighters, from at least six companies, deserved the credit for putting out the blaze.
"All in all, it was a tragic event," he said. "But there was no loss of life, either human or animal. Money fixes all the rest."
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