Massachusetts

Man Speaks After Saving Neighbor From Saugus Apartment Fire

Anthony Colometo, of Saugus, Massachusetts, is being called a hero for saving his neighbor's life

What to Know

  • 33-year-old Anthony Colometo, who is being called a hero for saving his neighbor's life, exclusively spoke to necn/NBC10 Boston
  • The Saugus Fire Captain says Colometo's neighbor is very fortunate to be alive, credits Colometo's quick thinking with saving him.
  • The cause of the Saugus fire is under investigation.

Firefighters say a Saugus, Massachusetts man is lucky to be alive thanks to his neighbor's quick thinking.

NBC10 Boston’s Eli Rosenberg spoke exclusively to the neighbor that some are calling a hero.

The fire captain says there is no doubt in his mind that Anthony Colometo saved his neighbor's life.

Colometo was actually asleep at the time. It was the smoke detector that woke him up. He ran out of his apartment and over to his neighbor's as the man's apartment filled up with smoke late Wednesday night.

"I don't know what to think," Colometo said.

With absolutely no time to spare, he worked fast to try to reach his next-door neighbor.

"I came through here..it stunk like this but I didn't know if it was coming from down there or if it was coming from here...so I went like boom and dropped a shoulder... I seen the smoke start coming down the top," Colometo said.

The 33 year old wasn't able to get the man's door open, though.

"The police came and we were like, 'he is definitely in there,'" Colometo recalled.

Saugus firefighters raced to the apartment and were eventually able to break down the door. They found the man unconscious in his kitchen. Firefighters were quick to credit Colometo, with the captain saying another couple of minutes and the man probably wouldn't be alive.

Colometo also was rushed to the hospital Wednesday night where he was treated for smoke inhalation from "running around in the hallway and stuff."

He's just relieved he was in the right place when it made all the difference.

"I'm glad, I'm glad," he said. "I mean, it makes me happy to have had an impact on somebody like that."

Colometo says he was able to get an update on the man he saved, saying he was transferred to a Boston hospital where is expected to eventually be okay.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Contact Us