A woman who was filmed dangling from a 20th-floor window during a blaze at a New York high-rise was rescued by firefighters in dramatic scenes.
In the heroic rescue,?firefighters?were caught on camera helping residents escape the fire on Saturday that left more than 30 people injured, including five firefighters.
A group of four firefighters hung 20 stories in the air on ropes and saved two lives. Among those rescued was Christina Foti, who was sleeping when the blaze erupted.?
Heartstopping footage of the rescue was captured by bystander Patti Ryan.
In the now-viral video, Foti, whose apartment quickly became filled with smoke, is seen clinging to her windowsill. According to officials, Foti hung from the window for at least five minutes until?firefighters?were able to carry the high-rise rescue.??
Patti Ryan, who shot the video, wrote on Twitter: "In my entire life I have never seen anything more #HEROIC than what I just witnessed from #NYC apt¡Trying to escape smoke, she slipped, hanging 15¨C20 stories up. THANK U to our heroes!!!#FDNY@FDNY."
The New York?Fire?Department praised their workers after the remarkable effort to help the woman trapped in the inferno.??
Amid the chaos,?firefighter?Arthur Podgorski climbed onto a rope and was tasked with grabbing Foti¡¯s body while her arm was freed from a child¡¯s gate.
"My role was to go under the victim, take her weight, hold her weight, so the member above me could free her arm. When moments like this happen, there¡¯s no room for mistakes. You have to work together," Podgorski was quoted as saying.?
When Foti¡¯s arm was freed, Podgorski, who was holding her tightly, was lowered so he could go inside the apartment below. She was then taken to safety.??
Rescue teams train for it weekly, but firefighters rarely have to perform such a maneuver.
¡°Since 1980, we have more than 50 documented successful life-saving evolutions done in the NYC Fire Department,¡± said Department Chief Frank Leeb.
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