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A Bensalem family is lucky to be alive Wednesday.
Police said someone set their house on fire early Tuesday morning, while the family of five slept inside.
"(The firefighter) busted down the door. He's the real hero," Jennifer Williams said. Video Report Williams said when it comes to saving lives she had a very minor role. She was finishing up her daily newspaper delivery run early Tuesday in a Bensalem neighborhood.
"The black smoke caught my eye and I thought well that's unusual it's summertime why would anyone be running their chimney? I'm thinking it's the heater at first. So then I looked over and noticed that the whole door was engulfed in flames," she said.
It was before dawn and Williams knew she was likely the only one in the neighborhood who was awake.
"I went to the neighbors house and started ringing his door bell and beating on his door," she said.
The Levittown mom called 911 and was amazed at how fast volunteer firefighter Jeff Rastetter arrived.
"He had his suit in the back and he suited up and did his job and busted down the door," Williams said.
"I was yelling out to identify myself who I was and trying to alert other people in the home to what was going on. It was at that time the mother came flying out of the bedroom hysterical, not knowing what was going on, thinking I was taking her child. Screaming, 'Where are you taking my kid?' I informed her who I was and what I was doing and I need to get you out of the house," Rastetter said.
Rastetter lives around the corner and said he heard the call right away and went to help.
"Being a father of four kids myself I reacted the best way I knew how and that was to get the child and the other individuals out," he said.
The fire was set at the front door and starting to spread, officials said.
"Combustible items were stuffed underneath the door to set this house ablaze. And there's other evidence that we have that leads us to believe that this was intentionally set," an official said.
Police are not saying much about the arson case and neither are the people who live there but Rastetter said had it not been for Williams things would have ended very differently.
"We would have been pulling bodies out of the home rather than having everyone walking out," Rastetter said.
Police said they do have a suspect and hope to make an arrest shortly.
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