A fire ripped through the second floor of a Bensonhurst home early yesterday, injuring an elderly woman and her son.
Rose DiGiovanni, 87, and her son, John DiGiovanni, 63, were rushed to Lutheran Medical Center after the early-morning blaze filled their 76th Street house with thick black smoke.
At around 4 a.m., neighbor Angelo Augello, 49, answered his doorbell to find John standing on the porch wearing only underwear and suffering from slight burns to his face.
"I opened the door and saw John standing on the porch screaming: 'Help, my mother is trapped in the house! The house is on fire!' " said Augello, a retired FDNY firefighter.
Augello called 911, threw on clothes and attempted to locate and rescue Rose with his son, Anthony Augello, 22.
The good Samaritans and John made it to the second floor, but the smoke was too much for them. The Augellos attempted two more rescues, but without success.
Firefighters at the all-hands blaze found Rose unconscious in the kitchen in the rear of the second floor.
Rose was taken to Lutheran in serious condition.
John's injuries were less serious, and he was being treated at Lutheran for smoke inhalation and minor burns.
