Washington Township man rescues family from burning home in Sewell

Cherry Hill Courier-Post

WASHINGTON TWP. – Patrick Finn ran toward the flames when his neighbors’ house caught fire early Saturday morning.

His heroic actions likely saved the lives of a man and two young children inside the burning home, police said.

Firefighters responded to the unit block of Phillips Court in Sewell around 2:35 a.m. after receiving reports that the blaze had trapped a family inside the home, police said.

When police arrived, all three occupants were in the driveway.

Using a ladder, Finn had climbed onto the roof and rescued them through a second-floor window, police said.

In a Facebook post, Finn described the fast-moving events that unfolded overnight in the Severan housing development after he awoke to the sound of screaming.

“Then my doorbell rang 6-7 times frantically,” Finn wrote. “Not sure who rang it, but when I got outside, no one was around. Heard screams, run out front. Man screaming from window on 2nd floor. Him and 2 kids stuck inside. I entered garage to get in 1st floor. Flames everywhere. Couldn't get in.

“Started screaming to man and his kids that their only option is to come out the 2nd floor window. Grab ladder from his garage, climb up, and man starts sliding 1st kid out the window, catch him. Grab 2nd kid. Get them down ladder. Then the adult. My adrenaline is out of control right now.”

The Washington Township Fire Department said its crews got the blaze under control within a half-hour.

The fire department said any information about injuries would be released by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, police said.