When an apartment fire broke out on the 2600 block of Pheasant Ridge Trail Sunday night, second-year law student Rocco DeFilippis came to the rescue, UW news reported Wednesday.
Fire officials said the apartment’s resident was asleep while the stove was on just before 6 p.m.
Hearing there were children in the apartment, DeFilippis acted to ensure no one was hurt.
“What was going through my head was ‘We have to get those kids out,’” DeFilippis told UW News. “After I smashed the door and helped the man out, another tenant and I did a quick sweep of the bedrooms to make sure the unit was clear.”
No children were in the unit. Firefighters treated the resident and put out the fire in five minutes.
According to DeFilippis, what he did was not unusual for UW-Madison because the community is concerned with the well-being of its people.
“Property can be replaced, but life is sacred,” DeFilippis told UW News.
