Hero firefighters perform daring rescue abseiling down NYC high rise

This is the moment firefighters rappelled down the side of a burning building to save a woman hanging by her fingertips from a 20th floor windowsill.Dramatic scenes unfolded in New York on Saturday when the high-rise block of flats went up in flames, prompting a huge rescue mission to free those inside. More than 30 people were taken to hospital with injuries, including five of the firefighters involved.Onlookers watched in horror as smoke plumed from the building and fire chiefs say the brave actions which followed were ‘high-risk’ and ‘last resort’.Videos shot from across the street show a woman dangling from 20 storeys up. Firefighter Arthur Podgorski then abseils with rope down to the woman, grabbing hold of her and carrying her away from the flames. She survived.”There’s just nothing but smoke, and then the firefighters appear, and once they were there, they got a handle on it really fast. Just phenomenal, I mean, to see that,” Midtown resident Daniel Schwartz told CBS News.Four firefighters performed what is known as a roof rope rescue which involved two repelling from the floor above to bring the woman to safety while their colleagues secured the ropes. New York firefights saved two women trapped inside a burning apartment. (Image: Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York/Facebook) Firefighters saved one woman who was dangling from a window 20 storeys from the ground. (Image: Twitter/@MariuszKorecki)At least 38 were injured in the fire at the 37-floor apartment on East 52nd Street, Manhattan.Authorities believe it was caused by a lithium-ion battery in an electric bike or E-scooter. A number of fires have been attributed to the devices.Witness Amy Bernstein added: “I can’t say enough about the firefighters of New York. The job they did was just amazing. You could see their focus. You could see their safety first, they were going to save this person.”Firefighter Podgorski said: “First we identified that we had a victim who was trapped in the window gate.READ MORE: Biden warned Democrat plans will be ‘dead on arrival’ Hero firefighters rescued two women from the blaze. (Image: Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York/Facebook) The blaze is believed to have been started by an E-bike or E-scooter. (Image: Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York/Facebook)”So my role was to go under the victim and start to take her weight, hold her weight so the member above me could free her arm and I could hold her and bring her safely below.”The clip quickly went viral, with many celebrating the heroic actions of the New York City Fire Department.New Yorker Kiki Carson said on Facebook: “These are super heroes that quietly do their job. They save lives and put their own on the line, thank you.”Fellow firefighter and journalist Rick Nohl added: “Congratulations on a job well done! Teamwork makes the FDNY!”DON’T MISS:Host says John Fetterman could run for President [ANALYSIS]Harry and Meghan ‘convinced’ they are ‘blessed’ with Diana’s magic [INSIGHT]Woman’s ‘inappropriate’ top ‘hack’ backfires at Disney [REPORT] Damage from the fire inside a high rise building in NYC. (Image: Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York/Facebook)Most residents in the building were ordered to shelter in place as their apartments had been fireproofed.Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York said on Facebook: “Earlier today, Firefighters responded to three alarm blaze caused by the continuous scourge of LITHION ION BATTERIES [sic] that began on the 20th floor of a Manhattan high rise.”The association said that 38 people were injured in the fire with two victims in critical condition, however no lives had been lost.It added: “The lithium ion batteries have become an epidemic endangering the lives of New Yorkers and the Firefighters who respond to these fires. We are praying for a full recovery. Truly a valiant effort by these heroic Firefighters!”