The man who was saved reportedly sustained critical burns from the April 14 blaze, which remains under investigation
A Pennsylvania man risked his life to help rescue his neighbors from a burning home over the weekend, dramatic video shows.
Oscar Rivera climbed the three-story building as it was engulfed in flames on April 14, according to WFMZ-TV. Rivera was playing with his kids in his backyard when he told the outlet he heard a “boom.”
He rushed to the front yard and saw the home across the street in flames with his neighbors inside, per the outlet.
On a narrow ledge at the burning home, a woman was trying to pull a man out of the attic window, The Morning Call reported. As smoke billowed from the window, the man was calling for help.
Rivera and a neighbor then rushed in to help with a ladder, according to the outlets. “I just started jumping, jumping, jumping,” Rivera told WFMZ-TV. He then made it all the way to the top floor to save the man.
When the victim yelled, “Help me, I can’t walk,” Rivera pulled him from the window. That’s when the Storyful video picks up the action.
Eyewitness Janeen Huth, who captured the video, praised Rivera for “risking his life as his young children stood at the door watching.”
“Come on! Come on!” Huth can be heard yelling as other onlookers join in and as firefighters bring in equipment to get the man. Rivera finally grabbed the victim and got him on the ledge.
“Oscar is a true hero,” she told The Morning Call.
The victims were taken to safety by firefighters and into ambulances, according to The Morning Call. The man Rivera saved sustained critical burns, according to WFMZ-TV.
According to the report, six homes were damaged and 20 people were evacuated. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Minersville Fire Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“I hope he’s okay. I’m praying for him,” Rivera told WFMZ-TV.