Credit: Amanda Kuehnle/LevittownNow.com
The boy who saved countless residents in the summer of 2013 during the fiery blaze at Racquet Club Apartments has done it once again.
Ilijah Rodriguez, 13, was hanging with his friends at Foxwood Manor Apartments at 2180 Veterans Hwy. in Middletown Twp. around 5 p.m. when a blaze broke out in the complex’s building 7. Read more about Rodriguez.
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“We were over there and saw a blast of smoke,” Hector Ibarrondo, 13, told LevittownNow.com. Ibarrondo, Rodriguez along with Marcel (no last name provided), Dorlance Stephene and Gienne Broctor were first on the scene. The group of friends alerted nearby residents and even assisted a disabled resident of the building before calling 911 to alert first responders.
An emergency official told LevittownNow.com earlier that the blaze was believe to start shortly after 5 p.m., it was put out by 5:55 p.m.
While early reports indicated a gas explosion may have occurred in the area around the same time, it is not sure if the two instances are related. Fire and police officials maintained no information could be provided as of press time.
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“The smoke was so thick I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face,” Rodriguez said. “I just moved [to Foxwood] and this is just awful that now fires like this have happened twice.”
Rodriguez was playing an innocent game of manhunt during the summer of 2013 when him and his friends first spotted the blaze at the complex’s B building.
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As first broke by LevittownNow.com, Rodriguez and his closest friends rushed into B building, bringing many to safety, successfully evacuating the building minutes before emergency personnel arrived. Rodriguez and his friends were honored later in the summer of 2013 and named heroes by Middletown Township. Read more about how the community honored Rodriguez here and here.
This past August 14, Rodriguez and his band of heroes celebrated their first Racquet Club Fire Heroes Day by the Bucks County Board of Commissions.
More information will be provided as it is available.
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