A woman who was filmed dangling 20-stories above the ground during a blaze at a New York City high-rise has recounted her heroic rescue by firefighters.
The three-alarm fire broke out around 10.30am on Saturday at a building on 429 East and 52nd Street in Manhattan. Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene and found themselves performing what has been described by FDNY chiefs as two “high-risk, last resort effort” rope rescues.
One of the firefighters saved the life of 20th-floor resident Christina Foti, who was sleeping when the blaze erupted. Heartstopping footage of the rescue was captured by bystander Patti Ryan.
In the minute-long video, Ms Foti, whose apartment quickly became filled with smoke, is seen clinging onto her windowsill. Officials told the Daily News that Ms Foti hung from the window for at least five minutes until firefighters were able to carry the high-rise rescue.
At least sixteen people were rescued by firefighters who heroically climbed onto ropes and saved residents.
“I don’t remember much,” Ms Foti told the Daily News on Sunday while she recovered at Weill Cornell Medical Center. “I just remember that it was horrible and I feel awful ... I would have died without them. I thought I was going to die.”
Thirty-eight people were injured in the blaze, including five firefighters. Two victims suffered severe smoke inhalation and five others were in serious condition, CBS reported.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said that the fire appeared to stem from an explosion caused by an e-bike’s lithium battery. Ms Kavanaugh commended responding firefighters for their efforts
“Fire EMS and dispatch did an extraordinary job rescuing a number of civilians,” Ms Kavanagh said during a press briefing, per CBS. “I cannot emphasize enough the extraordinary work of our members this morning in unbelievably dangerous conditions.”
Ms Kavanaugh said that the fire was under control within an hour. The FDNY advised that owners of micro-mobility devices that employ lithium-ion batteries, which have caused almost 200 fires in the city this year, should take precautions like not leaving the devices charging overnight.
Ms Ryan also voiced her appreciation for firefighters, captioning the video, “In my ENTIRE life I have never seen anything more #HEROIC than what I just witnessed from #NYC apt ... THANK U to our heroes!!!!”
Amid the chaos, firefighter Arthur Podgorski climbed onto a rope and was tasked with grabbing Ms 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,” Mr Podgorski told Fox News. “When moments like this happen, there’s no room for mistakes. You have to work together.”
When Ms Foti’s arm was freed, Mr Podgorski, who was holding her tightly, was lowered so he could go inside the apartment below. She was then taken to safety.
Chief Frank Leeb also told the network that although the measure is part of weekly training received by firefighters, it is not used very often, with 50 instances of it being used successfully since 1980.
