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Officers Rush Into Burning Home To Save Five Children & Two Women

PLUM BOROUGH (KDKA) -- Five people were sent to the hospital after a house fire in Plum Borough early Saturday morning.

Firefighters were dispatched to 105 Cherrywood Drive to battle a house fire that began around 5:40 a.m.

When officers arrived on scene, smoke was pouring out of the home. They were able to enter the front door and safely get a woman and a 1-year-old child out of the home.

There were still four children and a woman trapped on the second floor of the home.  Plum Police Sgt. Jay Kapusta decided to use himself as a human ladder so his two fellow officers could climb up to the second floor.

"They climbed up on my supervisor," said Plum Borough Police Chief Jeff Armstrong. "They got up on the garage roof so they could access the window where the children were. The officers removed the children from the windows and lowered them down."

But the rescue didn't stop there. The officers then went around the other side of the second floor and had to pull a 68-year-old woman from a bedroom. The officers were able to lower her down with the assistance of firefighters.

Firefighters were able to use a ladder to reach the other two children who were trapped on the second floor.

"It certainly appears the officers' quick-thinking in the face of adversity prevented something very tragic from happening," said Chief Armstrong.

"They did a fabulous job, I'm very proud of them and I don't think I could ask anymore from my officers in a situation like that."

Two children and the 68-year-old woman were taken to a nearby hospital. All of them are expected to be okay.

The two Plum Police officers who rescued them, Officer Eric Callen and Officer Crystal Iachini, were both treated for smoke inhalation and are expected to be okay.

The fire caused extensive damage to the interior of the house. Officials are looking in the cause of the fire, but they say it does not appear to be suspicious.

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