Newark Mayor Cory Booker suffered second degree burns last night as he helped rescue his neighbors from a fire.
USA Today reports that Booker suffered from smoke inhalation and second-degree burns. After he was treated and released from the hospital he told News 12 New Jersey that he was just thankful that everyone was OK. The Mayor elaborated on Twitter, saying:
“Thanks 2 all who are concerned. Just suffering smoke inhalation… We got the woman out of the house. We are both off to hospital. I will b ok.”
Booker added:
“Thanks everyone, my injuries were relatively minor. Thanks to Det. Alex Rodriguez who helped get all of the people out of the house.”
The fire occurred at a house next door to Booker’s. Booker said that he arrived home on Thursday with two members of his security detail and saw that the house was on fire. According to spokeswoman Anne Torres, Booker and his security team rushed into the home to help residents escape.
Newark Fire Director Fateen Ziyad recounted Booker’s heroics to The Star-Ledger of Newark. According to Ziyad, Booker heard a woman calling from the back of the house. His security team tried to prevent Booker from searching for the woman, but Booker told his men to let him go, saying: “She is going to die, she is going to die.”
Ziyad said that the Mayor crossed through flames to reach the woman and carried her out of the building. According to USA Today, the woman is in stable condition.
Mayor Cory Booker will be holding a news conference to elaborate on the incident later this morning.