An off-duty New York City firefighter is being credited with rescuing two people on Christmas night from a burning house on Staten Island.
Firefighter Steven Karl said Monday that his "instincts took over'' when he drove by the home late Sunday night and spotted flames coming out.
The 37-year-old Karl grabbed a ladder from behind the home and used it to evacuate a man and a woman trapped on the second floor. He also rescued a cat before on-duty firefighters arrived.
An FDNY spokesman said that the department suspects that Christmas tree lights on the first floor caused the blaze.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
