PHOENIX — Two children are safe thanks to a retired first responder who noticed smoke coming from a south Phoenix house and let his old instincts take over.
Just after 7 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters were alerted to a house fire near 24th Street and Southern Avenue.
Before crews arrived, Dana Lambert, a retired Emergency Management first responder, was nearby, saw smoke and headed toward it.
When he got to the house he found two children, ages 7 and 13, trapped inside and helped them get to safety, according to Phoenix Fire officials.
Firefighters then arrived at the house and searched for anyone else who may be inside but did not find anyone.
Crews were met with heavy fire with multiple explosions and power lines down. They were able to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighboring homes.
The children were not injured and were reunited with their family.
Lambert later told ABC15 he was coming out of the gym when he noticed the smoke. He says he drove to where it was coming from to watch the firefighters work but ended up getting there before they arrived.
Immediately he heard neighbors screaming as they were trying to get the two children out through the bedroom window but it was too high and small.
That's when Lambert ran inside. He described propane tanks that were exploding on the other side of the house.
Thankfully the girls were in the bedroom with the door closed, which prevented much smoke from getting in.
Lambert got the girls to safety and moments later the first Phoenix Fire crew arrived to put out the flames.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
