Firefighters rescue a man from a house fire in Rensselaer

A Rensselaer man was pulled from a burning home Sunday afternoon. Neighbors are calling the firefighters heroes for their quick and brave actions.

According to the Rensselaer Fire Department, they received a call around 1:40 p.m. Sunday. Within minutes, firefighters arrived to the 1200 block of 3rd Street. They saw heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the building.

Assistant Chief William Brooking says crews did go inside to take the man out. He was taken to Albany Memorial Hospital. We don’t know the extent of his injuries at this time. The fire did not extend to any other houses. Brooking believes their quick actions saved other lives.

"So, I had myself. One of the volunteers that live nearby was there right away, along with the four career firefighters that were working. And we immediately went into action and trying to locate a victim as everybody told us upon arrival," said Brooking.

The city of Rensselaer has a Fire Investigation Team. They are working to determine the cause.