LAFAYETTE — A Lafayette family is grateful to be alive after their home caught fire Wednesday morning. Philip Russo was on his way to work when he saw smoke coming from a home.
"I ran up and asked 'Is everybody out of the house?' She said yes; I said 'all the kids are here?'"
Russo says he first thought the smoke was coming from behind the house.
"So I thought maybe it was a BBQ but as I'm passing I notice a mom, with her dogs and kids looking at the house," Russo said.
The man quickly turned around, found a water hose and went into action.
"I stood at the window spraying and dousing everything, I could see the flames were starting to die down, so I just kept going until the flames were out," Russo said.
He says even if the home is a total loss, all that matters is everyone made it out.
"Everything is replaceable, life is not. I went up to talk to her and tell her everything will be ok, your kids are ok, and that her animals are ok."
Russo made it work. On his lunch break, he even went back to the house to check on the family, but no one was there.
Russo was able to control most of the flames until the fire department arrived. He said he didn't think twice about stopping to help.
