A teenager in western Pennsylvania helped save multiple residents from an apartment fire by moving a trampoline to ease the landing for victims jumping out the side of the building.
Falon O’Regan, 17, was about to go to bed around 12:50 a.m. when he noticed that the apartment complex he was living in had caught on fire and realized he needed to act fast, according to WPIX.
The apartment fire occurred in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania, located approximately 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, on the 100 Block of Church Street.
O’Regan initially considered using a swimming pool to help rescue his fellow residents but realized it would have been too heavy to move, WTAE reported.
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He then realized he could use a nearby trampoline, and with the help of his neighbor, Robert, they moved it to the side of the apartment.
“Me and Robert, my neighbor downstairs, had to move the trampoline from the side of the house to the three bedrooms on the last part of the house because they would’ve gotten hurt if we didn’t,” O’Regan told WPIX.
O’Regan had to convince some of the residents to jump, but they eventually did.
Three people were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, while another person injured their leg while jumping out.
The fire officials are currently investigating how the fire started and noted the roof of the complex partially collapsed.
Twelve adults and six children all made it out of the building and are currently being taken care of by the Red Cross, WPIX noted.
O’Regan’s mother, Becky Williams, shared how proud she was of her son’s heroic actions.
“I’m proud of him. We’re suffering losses because we think we lost our cats. But he saved a lot of people today,” Becky Williams told WTAE.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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