A fire at a highrise in New York City led to a dramatic rescue as a woman dangled by her fingertips out an apartment window.
The victim can be seen on video captured by nearby resident Amy Bernstein. Hanging from the 37-floor, smoke relentlessly billowed from the window above her.
In an interview with WCBS-TV, Bernstein said she was working out in her nearby building when she started to smell smoke and saw the unthinkable.
“I went to the window when I saw, about maybe the 16th, 17th floor, a little above me, black smoke pouring out,” she said. “I saw two women, one hanging out with her upper body and the other climbing out of the window.”
Emergency workers with the New York City Fire Department arrived at the scene and were able to use ropes to rescue the dangling woman.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said after the incident, “Fire EMS and dispatch did an extraordinary job rescuing a number of civilians. I cannot emphasize enough the extraordinary work of our members this morning in unbelievably dangerous conditions.”
The FDNY later released an additional statement explaining the seriousness of the situation, as the front door to the apartment was blocked, and went on to say that a “herculean team effort” was needed for firefighters to reach and rescue the women.
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Firefighter Artur Podgorski explained how he helped rescue the victim saying, “My role was to go under the victim and start to hold her weight, so the member above me could free her arm and I could hold her and bring her safely below,” he said. “It is a team effort, you have to put trust in the members above and below you. This is why we train, when moments like this happen there is no room for mistakes, we fall back on our training.”
Dozens of people were injured during the inferno, with 38 people being transported to the hospital. Two others had critical injuries due to smoke inhalation.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a lithium-ion battery linked to an electric bike.
3 Alarm fire on Sutton Place. Incredible rescue by FDNY on the 20th floor. #manhattan –#fire #fdny pic.twitter.com/PQwDAE7hpT
— Cathy Maguire (@CathyMaguirexox) November 5, 2022
@CathyMaguirexox via Storyful / Faithwire
