Montco native, NYC firefighter meets man he saved
NEW YORK, N.Y. (WPVI) -- A New York City firefighter, who's a Montgomery County native, had a chance to meet the man who's life he saved in dramatic fashion.
Last month, Jim Lee, who got his start at the Willow Grove Fire Company, pulled off a rare rope rescue of an elderly man in a fire on New York's Upper East Side.
The technique hasn't been attempted in five years, and is considered a last resort.
Lee scaled the burning building, grabbed 81-year-old Jim Duffy through a window, and both were then lowered to the ground.
And it was at that moment, that the roped snapped.
"I said, 'thank God, it was a miracle.' Or as I called it, a miracle on 93rd Street," said Duffy.
One person died in that fire and 15 were injured - including 11 firefighters.
As for Duffy, he's still in a rehabilitation facility, but once he's released, he has no where to go.
His apartment, where he lived for 50 years, is now gone.
The firefighters have set up a fund to raise money so Duffy will, once again, have a place to call home.
