RUSKIN, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say two dogs died in a Florida house fire, but an off-duty firefighter who lived nearby managed to save the home’s occupant.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the fire occurred Tuesday morning in Ruskin.
Tampa firefighter Luigi Young told officials that he saw smoke rising from his neighbor’s home and started spraying it with a garden hose. Young heard a cough inside the home and located 51-year-old Paul Gregory. The man was airlifted to a Tampa hospital, where he remained Wednesday in critical condition.
Hillsborough County fire crews found two dogs but weren’t able to resuscitate them. Two parrots in the house survived and were taken to a neighbor’s home.