Jul 13, 2008 5:48 pm US/Central
NYC Doorman Rescues Woman From Burning Building
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A doorman rushed inside a burning brownstone on the Upper West Side of New York City on Sunday to rescue a resident.
Doorman Izet Nelkovic ran inside the burning building to alert Judith Rice of the fire.
Rice told CBS station WCBS-TV in New York City she was completely unaware of the dangerous situation. "I heard nothing, smelled nothing," she said. "It was his urgency. I didn't turn around to close the door behind me because I heard it in his voice, and I heard it in his pounding - get out of there, get out of there."
As soon as the two left the building, an explosion blew out the room Rice was in.
"He put himself at risk. That building could have exploded with him standing in it - he didn't need to do that," she said, dubbing Nelkovic 'New Yorker of the Year.'
"I was in the building to call people to get out," Nelkovic said, humbly acknowledging his bravery.
Five firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the two-alarm fire.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
