Off-duty firefighter rescues woman from burning car in Brookfield on Route 7, officials say

BROOKFIELD — An off-duty New York firefighter who lives in town rescued a woman from a burning car early Saturday morning, officials said.

On his way home, Nicholas Perri Jr., a firefighter in White Plains, N.Y., came across a crash on Route 7 North around 3 a.m. Saturday, the Brookfield Fire Department said in a Facebook post.

Firefighters arrived shortly afterward and found Perri removing the woman from a “heavily involved” flaming vehicle. Officials said the woman had been in an accident and photos from the scene showed the vehicle off the road in a wooded area.

“Without the protection of gear or a hose line, he gained access to the well-involved vehicle and successfully removed the badly injured female driver as flames were entering the passenger compartment,” the fire department said.

Perri “carried the patient to EMS where she was treated and transported to Danbury Hospital,” the fire department said. Perri was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

“The jacket he was wearing was burned from the fire. If not for the courageous actions of Mr. Perri, the operator would have burned to death in her vehicle,” the fire department said.