The heat from the fire had blown out a window in the one-story house as Norman Pariseau and Jorge Hernandez raced to the front door. Through the broken glass of the window they could hear the crackling of the fire and groans of a man trapped in the blaze. Usually, firefighters assess the risks of entering a burning building when they arrive at a fire. Ceilings can collapse.
Roofs cave in.
But there was no debate with this blaze over whether or not to go in. Not with a man obviously alive inside. I don't know. But he had to come out. The smoke was so thick they couldn't see their feet, so they dropped to the ground.