A Pennsylvania teen is being applauded for his quick action, helping deploy a nearby trampoline to allow neighbors to escape an overnight apartment fire early Tuesday morning near Pittsburgh.
Shortly after a fire broke out around 1 a.m. in his Bentleyville apartment building, 17-year-old Falon O'Regan jumped from a window and sprang into action to help his neighbors escape the blaze, NBC affiliate WPXI reported.
“Me and Robert, my neighbor downstairs, had to move the trampoline from the side of the house to the three bedrooms on the last part of the house, because they would've gotten hurt if we didn't,” O’Regan told the station.
Neighbors said they were uneasy about the jump, but took the plunge knowing they didn't have much of a choice.
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“You look out the window and the fire's starting through your doorway and you literally have fire coming at you and you have to jump. You have to jump. There's no other option," said resident Michael Groots.
Fire officials said the quick action helped several trapped people.
“They prevented a lot of injuries," said Tim Miller, 2nd assistant fire chief for the Bentleyville Fire Department.
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One person hurt their leg and three others went to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, WPXI reported.
O’Regan’s mom, Becky Williams, said she’s proud of how her son jumped into action, telling him “You’re a hero, baby.”
“I'm proud of him. We're suffering losses because we think we lost our cats. But he saved a lot of people today. I'm proud of him."
For his part, O’Regan said he was just happy to be of help.
“I'm glad we got them out in time."
According to fire officials, 12 adults and 6 kids were displaced by the fire, and they are being assisted by the Red Cross.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
