West Seneca police officers rescue 93-year-old man from burning home as fire spread

WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WKBW) — West Seneca police officers rescued a 93-year-old man with limited mobility from his home late Sunday night after a fire at a neighboring house began spreading to his residence.

The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. at 65 Osgood Ave., just down the road from the West Seneca Police Department. Body camera footage captured the dramatic rescue, which involved three officers and a lieutenant.

Lieutenant Michael Kocieniewski was the first to arrive on scene.

"You could see that the resident of the home was out of the house, and I could see that the fire was actually extending into the neighbor's house," Kocieniewski said.

Kocieniewski saw the home fully engulfed in flames and noticed the siding on house number 63 was beginning to melt. He realized they had to get the people inside out immediately.

WATCH: West Seneca police officers rescue 93-year-old man from burning home as fire spread

"We discovered a resident who's 93 years old with limited mobility, and his bedroom is actually the wall closest to where the fire is," Kocieniewski said. "So, while we're even there with him, you could see the flames actually coming past the window on the front of the house."

The man's daughter was also in the home and was able to walk out on her own as conditions inside worsened. The entire rescue unfolded within a few minutes.

Kocieniewski and Officer Gerace carried the man from his bedroom and helped dress him, with assistance from Officer Biasillo. Officer Kowalski monitored the fire from outside and warned the others to hurry.

"Myself and Officer Gerace were actually able to help carry him from the bedroom, help dress him, was helped by Officer Biasillo. We carried him to the front door where Officer Kowalski was actually monitoring the fire. He had actually exited the residence, realizing how bad it was getting and was watching from the outside, telling us to hurry up and get out," Kocieniewski said.

Kocieniewski said he is proud of his team and the power of teamwork that night.

"I think any one of our officers would have done the same thing. We choose this job because we like what we do and we love what we do, and it's our community," Kocieniewski said.

The man who lives in the house where the fire started suffered minor burns on his hand. The family from the neighboring house was not severely injured. Both families are being assisted by the American Red Cross and are currently staying in a hotel.

Fire companies from Union, Vigilant, East Seneca and Seneca Hose responded to the scene and were able to bring the fire under control. Damage to both homes exceeds $200,000 each. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.