LI Family With 3 Kids Saved In Dramatic Rescue From Burning Home

MATTITUCK, NY — A family's lives were saved in a dramatic rescue after an off-duty public safety dispatcher saw their house engulfed in flames, police said.

According to Southold Town police, the incident took place on Wednesday night at 11::49 p.m. at a home on Main Road in Mattituck.

The Southold Town Police Department's communications division began to receive multiple 911 calls about a house on fire, police said. Among the callers was an off-duty Southold Town police public safety dispatcher, PSD1 Donna Lane, who was on her way home from work after working a 4 p.m. to midnight shift, police said.

She noticed the rear of the home heavily engulfed in flames, police said.

Recognizing that the home may have been occupied and fearing that any occupants were in immediate danger, she began to repeatedly bang on the front door and windows of the home in an attempt to wake any sleeping occupants, all while maintaining contact with her fellow 911 dispatchers, police said.

After several minutes of persistent screaming and banging, Lane was able to successfully wake up one of the occupants who, in turn, woke the remaining four family members, police said.

All family members then exited the home, which was rapidly being consumed with smoke and fire, police said.

The family of five included two adults and three young children, ages 7, 4, and 1, police said.

Shortly after, responders from the Mattituck Fire Department arrived on scene and began efforts to extinguish the blaze, police said.

Firefighters from the Mattituck, Cutchogue, and Jamesport Fire Departments battled the blaze for more than 2 hours, police said. Additional support was provided by the Southold, Greenport and Riverhead Fire Departments, which provided EMS and stand-by coverage, police said.

The home sustained significant damage, police said.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Suffolk County Police Department's arson aquad and is not considered suspicious, police said.

After speaking with the occupants, it was confirmed that they were asleep at the time and were not aware of the fire, police said.

"PSD Lane’s selfless actions and quick thinking prevented a major tragedy," police said.

PSD1 Donna Lane is a 18-year veteran of the Southold Town Police Department's communications division.