'A Miracle On 93rd Street,' Elderly Man Rescued In Blaze Reunites With Heroic Firefighters
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A group of New York City firefighters recently reunited with the man they saved from a 6-alarm fire last month.
James Duffy, 81, owes his life to a risky maneuver employed by the group of men during the massive blaze in an Upper East Side apartment building on the early morning of October 27th.
The maneuver involved a firefighter, harnessed to a rope, dangling over the flames that shot from 324 East 93rd Street in hopes of reaching Duffy who was trapped in his apartment on the fifth floor.
"This is the type of job you see, you know, once in a 20 year career," said Joseph Moore from FDNY Ladder Company 13.
In the chaos, some firefighters shouted up to Duffy, others on the roof lowered James Lee of FDNY Rescue Company 1 down in a harness so he could grab the man.
Duffy, who suffers from asthma, was hanging from his kitchen window.
The lifesaver rope is rarely used by the FDNY. It's considered a last resort. That Thursday morning it was the only option left.
"The smoke was so black and dark and heavy I really didn't think I'd make it," Duffy said exclusively to CBS2's Brian Conybeare shortly after the ordeal.
"I just remember sort of seeing him, looking up at me with the hood up and I just said 'Let's go'," recalled Lee.
Lee managed to lower himself and Duffy to a safe place just seconds before the rope that they were harnessed to snapped.
"The reality really set in that wow, we really just, we saved a guy's life," added Lee.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the daring rescue "simply heroic."
In all, 12 people were hurt in the blaze, including four other civilians and seven firefighters who suffered minor injuries. Officials said the person who died was found on the third floor of the building.
Duffy was transported to the hospital in critical condition and is still undergoing intense rehab.
Still, he realizes things could have been much, much worse.
"I said thank God, it was a miracle,"said Duffy, shortly after meeting Lee and the other's who saved him.
"Or as I called it, a miracle on 93rd Street," he added.
Fire officials tell CBS2 the fire was caused by an overloaded electrical cord. The building on 93rd Street will have to be torn down.
The firefighters are not done lending a hand. They've set up a fundraising site to help Duffy find a new home once his rehabilitation is complete.
