FDNY Lt. James F. Congema knows it's a cliche, but there's no other way to describe the events that unfolded in the early morning of March 23, 2007.
The crew of Ladder 41 didn't have far to go when the alarm sounded at 1:38 a.m. It was right down the street.
Firefighters arrived to find security bars on the windows, but went right to work to gain access.
"We couldn't have asked for a better scenario. I had two guys with me. I just kept finding victims, and handing them out to them," Congema said. "It was unbelievable."
At one point, the lieutenant was passing fire while continuing his search. The rescues were taking place before a line was in the building.
"I'd find another, and get 'em out," he said.
While he was doing the search, he couldn't help but think of another fire, one a few weeks earlier that had claimed the lives of about 10 children.
"I wondered if this was another thing playing out before me. I wondered how many people were in this apartment."
Congema, who didn't know he'd been nominated or selected as a hero by Firehouse Magazine, credited his two partners -- Rob Watts and Ron Fuentes -- for their effort in the successful rescue of the five residents.
Seeing what was transpiring, one of the incident commanders assigned the crew of Engine 88 to handle patient care. Several were in arrest when they were brought out of the house.
"Everything worked out perfectly. A lot of people had a hand in it."
The following day Congema was up against another tough challenge, facing the media.
"I'd rather be on 100 runs on my next shift than get before the cameras," he laughed. "It was nerve-racking."
He called the hospital for the first few days to see how the people were doing. "It was a great feeling when I heard they were all OK."
Congema said he wanted to visit them at the hospital, but didn't. "I didn't want to overstep. You just never know. I'm just glad things worked out like they did."
