The girl jumped into the arms of two Mahwah police officers, the witness said.
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Police believe the fire started in the third-floor unit across from where the girl lives, inside the home of an elderly woman who was able to escape on her own.
Sofya told ABC 7, “I didn’t know what to do and I just listened to them”.
Content Preview This content is exclusive for Optimum, Time Warner, Comcast, customers with access to News 12. In an interview Wednesday in her family’s room at the Super 8 on Route 17, her mother Yuliya and stepfather Zdenko praised her quick thinking and said that she fell into the “arms of angels”. “I thought we were going to have a hard time convincing her. She put a lot of faith in us”, he told the newspaper.
Laforest also said the bravery of this young girl inspired many Mahwah residents to give back and help those who lost their homes and belongings in yesterday’s fire. She was taken a Mahwah ambulance at the scene and examined by emergency medical technicians.
Police and firefighters went around knocking on doors, making sure everyone was evacuated.
Loreto, the fire chief, said the blaze reached three-alarms and drew a response from all five township fire companies, along with mutual aid from Ramsey, Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Wyckoff, Tallman and Suffern, New York.
While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, cooking may have been to blame, ABC7 said.
John Lane, the township building manager, said sprinkler systems were not required when the building was constructed in 1988.
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The fire destroyed six units in the complex, but no one, including Doroshenko, suffered injuries. Authorities say it apparently started shortly before 4 p.m. on the top floor of the three-story building and extended into an attic.
