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Amityville Police Officer saves man from rooftop of burning home
"The Fire Department praises him for his action," said Amityville Fire Chief Artie Smith of APO Michael Benedict who made the rescue. "We depend on people like that." When Benedict pulled up to the house, he observed a woman in the front and asked if everyone was out. She told him that they were and Benedict went to the side of the house where he observed the owner, Roosevelt Sims, attempting to put the fire out with a garden hose. Benedict told him to leave the area but he responded that there was another resident trapped on the roof. Benedict located a ladder in the yard and immediately placed it on the rear of the home, assisting Craig Booker down to safety. Booker said he was forced to exit the house through a rear bathroom window and head to the roof because of the heavy smoke. He added that he was preparing to jump from the second story roof when Benedict arrived and assisted him in getting down safely.
Benedict is a 6-year member of the APD, serving with the New York City Police Department prior to that. He is married and the father of a two-year-old son. The blaze broke out at approximately 2:30 p.m. Babylon Town Fire Marshall's office determined that it was caused by an electrical malfunction. Approximately 80 fire personnel from Amityville, Copiague, Massapequa, North Amityville and Lindenhurst worked to bring the fire under control. Firefighters conducted an interior attack and were then told to leave the house when the Chief determined that there may be an imminent collapse of the structure. They worked from the outside, putting out the fire and then sent in smaller crews, extinguishing the blaze. "The house was of old balloon construction which caused the fire to spread fast," said Smith. The house was totally destroyed and the American Red Cross provided emergency housing for the occupants.
Photo by Joe Pellicone
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