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Off-Duty Firefighters Credited With Saving Woman's Life After Fire Breaks Out In Chester County

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (CBS) --- Fire crews in Chester County worked to put out a blaze after heavy storms came through Wednesday morning.

Chester County Police say the call came in around 5:40 a.m. The house fire reached two alarms.

The fast moving fire left little time for people to get out.

"Me and my pops, she put her arms around us and then we helped walk her out of the house," said firefighter Anthony Szabara.

Szabara and his dad, both volunteer firefighters in the Poconos, just happened to be driving to work just before 6 a.m. Wednesday.

They saw the smoke, pulled over and starting pounding on the door of an 85-year-old woman, telling her to get out.

"All we kept saying was that your house is on fire," said Szabara.

"It's like two little angels came by at the right time, that's the way I look at it," said Joe Malonoski.

Malonoski believes his sister Sophie's life was in danger.

(Reporter:) "Her brother has no doubt that you saved her life."

"Probably," said Szabara.

On the other side of the twin home, seven members of the Tammaro family.

"All I heard was crackling upstairs."

They spent their day saving whatever possessions they could out of their Dayton Street home. They tell CBS 3 Eyewitness News they do not have homeowner's insurance.

"I was just thankful that nobody was hurt or anything."

Crews are working to determine the cause of the fire, and whether lightning was involved.

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