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by ROB HART
A firefighter made a daring leap through a flaming window to the safety of an aerial ladder yesterday, after becoming trapped in an all-hands blaze ravaging an Elm Park home.
"The fire came through and I got cut off," said Firefighter Jeff Mulligan, a 19-year veteran from Ladder Co. 80, Port Richmond. "There was no fire when I went in, but it came up through the walls into the attic while I was searching for victims."
After the flames exploded behind him, he couldn't reach the aerial ladder that brought him into the window of the home at 125 Eaton Pl.
So he jumped, and suffered minor burns to his ear and neck. His bunker gear saved him from more serious injuries.
"I'm doing all right," the Eltingville resident said as he waited outside an ambulance set to take him to St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton.
Four other firefighters suffered minor injuries.
According to Deputy Chief William Tanzosh of Division 8, the fire was called in at 4:35 p.m. at the two-story beige home, which sits in the shadow of the ramp to the Bayonne Bridge.
Flames spread through the walls into the second floor and attic, with the first floor also catching fire. While preliminary reports say the fire may have been caused by an electrical problem in the basement, the exact cause is still under investigation.
It took about a half-hour to bring the blaze under control. Smoke billowed onto the narrow street and a flood of spectators crowded the sidewalks around the home.
Neighbors watched anxiously as firefighters climbed ladders and disappeared into thick plumes of smoke on the second floor and in the attic. Other spectators had to dodge jets of water that burst onto the street, as firefighters hosed the interior of the house.
"I came outside after I heard the fire trucks and smelled the smoke," said a neighbor, who identified herself as Beth. "[The Fire Department] got right in there. They were really quick."
Tanzosh said three people inside the home escaped. A man identified as an occupant declined comment, as he watched firefighters tear siding off the house and shatter windows.
While it took 60 firefighters to rein in the blaze, many highlighted Mulligan's daring dive -- and good fortune.
"Mulligan did a fantastic job," said Donald Ruland, Island trustee for the Uniformed Firefighters Association. "He had to bail out after the window went up, and he was really lucky."
Ruland added: "All the guys got here quick and did a great job."
Also responding were: Engine Co. 156, West Brighton; Engine Co. 157, Port Richmond; Engine Co. 158, Mariners Harbor; Engine Co. 159, Dongan Hills; Engine Co. 163, Westerleigh; Ladder Co. 79, West Brighton; Ladder Co. 85, New Dorp; Ladder Co. 86, Graniteville; Rescue Co. 5, Concord; Battalion 21, Rosebank, and Battalion 22, West Brighton.
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