A group of good Samaritans are being hailed as heroes after they rushed into a burning home in Bayport.
Homeowner Ron Provenzano says he is lucky to be alive after his home on Middle Road caught on fire around 2:15 a.m. Provenzano, his girlfriend and a friend were all asleep in the home at the time.
Provenzano says they were saved by five good Samaritans who saw the flames and rushed into his house.
"We were sound asleep, the AC was on, the screams of those five people...If it wasn't for them, I may not be here," he told News 12 Long Island.
Bayport Fire Chief Robert Fleming says it took two hours to get the fire under control. He says the heat and humidity was fatiguing for the 70 firefighters it took to quell the flames. The home was destroyed.
Suffolk arson investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Provenzano says he lived in the 180-year-old home for the past 13 years.