9-year-old jumps from home engulfed in fire

The girl, Sofya Doroshenko, told ABC7 that flames were blocking all of the other exits, forcing her onto the balcony, where Mahwah police officers, having just reaching the scene, stood below waiting to catch her.

Lt. Dino got the girl to jump into his arms, Batelli said.

Sofia’s mother and step-father said the little girl only came to the US five months ago.

Sofya told ABC 7, “I didn’t know what to do and I just listened to them”.

The blaze in the Juniper Way complex in Mahwah started at around 4 p.m.in a third-floor apartment and quickly swept into the attic, according to authorities.

A cause is being investigated, but police don’t believe it to be suspicious at this point.

The fire apparently started in the condo of an elderly woman who was cooking, authorities said.

Town Inspector John Lane deemed several of the units uninhabitable due to fire, smoke, and water damage.

“That young girl jumped into the arms of an angel and those three angels will be remembered by our community for a long long time”, Mayor Bill Laforet said.

She retreated back into her home and ran to the balcony, where she saw the officers below and leapt.

Sofiya reacted by going to the balcony.

Mahwah police Lt. Jeffrey Dino, Sgt. Brendan Mullin and Officer Thomas Solimano were among the first arriving officers and found the upper floor of the building engulfed in flames.

And then she jumped.

“One of the most important things she did that she probably didn’t even realize is that she shut the door to her condo”, Batelli told ABC News, explaining that if she had left the door open, it would have allowed the fire and smoke to spread quicker.

Kathy Errico and her adult daughter, Jennifer, said at a meeting Wednesday they learned they cannot return to their smoke-damaged condo unit until building inspectors declare it structurally sound, which could take at least a week.