By FireRescue1 Staff
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — A firefighter experienced a close call after falling through the floor of a burning home Thursday morning.
ABC7 reported that the three-alarm fire broke out in the basement of the home; a passerby spotted smoke and called 911. The homeowners were at church at the time of the fire.
First arriving crews went into the basement but were later ordered out due to unsafe conditions. While Matthew Doktor, 27, a volunteer firefighter with Monmouth Junction Fire Department, was on his way out, he partially fell through the floor.
“We were backing out and the floor beneath me collapsed,” Doktor said. “I fell a couple of feet and called a mayday.”
Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith said other firefighters were able to grab Doktor quickly.
“He was very lucky. It was a couple of tense moments,” Chief Smith said.
Doktor was not seriously hurt; the home suffered severe damage.