Incredible video shows a worker's dangerous rescue from a burning Houston building
YouTube
A massive fire tore through a luxury condo building under construction in Houston, Texas yesterday, and a daring rescue was caught on camera. The fast-moving, five-alarm blaze put a construction worker's life in peril, as he was stranded on the fourth floor. With the flames intensifying, the worker dropped down to a balcony below as he waited for a ladder truck to rescue him. In the video, he can be seen swinging from the balcony.
The man was rescued by a firefighter right before a wall of fire crumbled the apartment's top floor and dropped behind him. The video was uploaded to YouTube by Karen Jones, an AIG employee who recorded it from a nearby building.
High winds are being blamed for aiding the flame's ferociousness. The cause is being investigated and no injuries were reported. --Jordan Valinsky
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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