Firefighters: Neighbor notices flames, alerts family in Rochester house fire

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC)— Firefighters say several people, including children, are safe following a house fire in Rochester Monday morning, and crews say an alert neighbor helped save the day.

The fire happened at a home on Glide Street near Campbell Street around 2:15 a.m.

Crews say the neighbor saw the flames shooting out of the home and called 911, then ran over to the house and alerted the people inside. A total of six people were inside at the time.

News10NBC’s Emily Putnam caught up with the neighbor, Eddie Mackey, on Monday. Mackey said he always wakes up before 2 a.m. n Mondays and Wednesdays to beat the crowds at the gym, and he just happened to see a glow when he looked out his window.

"You couldn’t miss it," said Mackey. "Not from my window, from my bedroom which is right up there so I saw it like… whoa what’s going on."

After calling 911 Mackey began pounding on his neighbor’s windows and doors to try to wake them up. When no one woke up, he got out his cell phone and called the family.

"The father came outside … he said what fire? what fire? and I showed him where it was at, because it wasn’t in the house, it was on the outside of the house," said Mackey.

The flames were contained to the outer part of the home, though the Red Cross is helping the family out. At least one person in the home was evaluated by an ambulance crew, but did not need to be hospitalized. Nobody else was hurt.

Firefighters are still working to figure out a cause.