Work crew, officers pull unconscious man from New Jersey house fire

HILLSIDE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A crew from the Department of Public Works helped police officers make a daring rescue from a fire in New Jersey Tuesday morning.

The workers noticed smoke pouring from a house on Columbia Avenue in Hillside and quickly leaped into action, calling 911 and telling residents to get out of the two-family home.

Police arrived, and an officer used force to break down the back door and pulled an unconscious man to safety.

A woman and a child on the second floor were able to escape the flames on their own.

The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital in unknown condition, but he is expected to survive.

The fire, which was intense at times, was extinguished. The cause is under investigation, but it is believed to have started in a bedroom.