By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – For those who responded to Thursday's fatal fire on East Delavan Avenue, it was just another day on the job. Two brothers -- 53-year-old Steven Salley and 43-year-old Jonah Mitchell -- were pulled from the burning home by firefighters but did not survive. Their father, 68-year-old William Jackson, is in critical condition at the Erie County Medical Center. WBFO's Mark Scott tells us about a couple of the first responders.
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The firefighters who responded to the fire downplay their hero status. They say entering a burning home while others are trying to get out is just part of the job. Michael Menge is a 12-year veteran of the Buffalo Fire Department. As temperatures topped one thousand degrees, amidst blinding smoke, Menge pulled one of the victims from the burning house.
Menge is a member of Ladder 7, which lost a firefighter in August. Jonathan Croom and Lieutenant Charles McCarthy died doing what a firefighter does everyday -- making their way through a burning building looking for victims. Fire Commissioner Michael Lombardo says the dangers first responders face are very real.
Two police officers were also part of yesterday's rescue effort. Officer Kenneth Agee, who joined the force just last summer, entered the burning home, but without the coat, helmet or air tank that a firefighters has. He sustained a thumb injury. Agee displayed his bandaged hand for the TV cameras. When a reporter asked if the injury will prevent him from doing paperwork, Agee responded that he's prepared to "suck it up."