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Brentwood couple credits neighbors for saving their home during fire

Thirteen-year-old Ryan Talley says he was in the backyard playing baseball with his two brothers when he made a scary observation Tuesday evening.

Caroline Flynn

Jul 20, 2024, 5:07 PM

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A Brentwood couple is crediting their neighbors with saving their home after their attic fan caught fire Tuesday.

Thirteen-year-old Ryan Talley says he was in the backyard playing baseball with his two brothers when he made a scary observation Tuesday evening.

“He overthrew the ball in to the pool. When he went to go get it I was walking back and saw what looked like flames,” he recalled.

The teen climbed a playset for a better look and confirmed the worst: It was a fire. He told one of his younger brothers to get their parents.

They ran to alert their neighbors who were unaware that their home was on fire. Along the way, they encountered another neighbor, Tom O’Shea, who served in the FDNY for 41 years.

O’Shea says that he grabbed a garden hose and used a ladder to climb on to the home. He wanted to safely get as close to the fire as he could to put it out.

“You just react and you do what you have to do,” O’Shea said.

His quick-thinking action paid off. By the time the Brentwood Fire Department arrived, Captain Jorge Aranda from Engine 2 was just a minute away and the fire was nearly out.

“Everything worked out well. The kids were outside playing, they saw the smoke and called fast,” Aranda said.

No one is more grateful than Stanley Barbato and his wife, who say because of their alert neighbors, the fire was contained to a part of their home which allowed them to still remain inside.

“If it wasn’t for them, this house would’ve gone. It would have been completely destroyed so we are very grateful for them. It's good to have neighbors like that,” Barbato said.

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