Retired firefighter rescues children trapped in burning Phoenix home

PHOENIX - Two young girls have been rescued after an explosive fire broke out at a south Phoenix home early Wednesday morning.

A "heavy fire with multiple explosions" was reported at a home near 24th Street and Southern just after 7 a.m., according to Capt. Todd Keller with Phoenix Fire.

A neighbor told FOX 10 that he normally took the girls to school since the parents weren't home and knew that the 7-year-old and 13-year-old were still inside, so he ran across the street to try to free them.

That's when a retired Arizona firefighter who saw the smoke stepped in and helped the neighbor break a window open.

"I ran straight to the house, jumped over the fence, and I said, ‘We got to get the kids out,’" the neighbor said.

The former first responder was eventually able to pull the girls and a puppy out of the small window to safety.

"You have a lot of training so that's what you do, you don't think about it, you assume the risk, you go in, and you pull the kids out," said Dana Lambert, the retired firefighter.

Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to other homes, and it is now under control.

No injuries were reported, and the kids have been reunited with their family. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Where the fire happened: