Cable guys hailed as heroes in Lake in the Hills house fire rescue

If ever there was a time for the cable guy to show up, it was Friday morning.

Trapped by smoke in his bedroom as fire flared in the basement of his two-story farmhouse about 9:30 a.m. Friday, a Lake in the Hills man fled to safety through a window -- and onto the porch roof, where he stood stranded.

While firefighters and police were on their way, Comcast technicians Josh St. John and Brad Dedina pulled up to the home at 9320 Virginia Road, as the first police officer arrived.

The pair grabbed the double ladder from their truck and helped the 21-year-old man off the roof to safety.

Initially, the two Comcast workers said they were unaware of the fire's severity and continued driving.

"We saw a small amount of smoke and at first we weren't sure if it was anything," said St. John, 32, a Lake in the Hills resident. "But then we turned around to make sure no one was yelling or needed help. That's when we saw the guy jump on to the roof from the second story."

A fire department statement says a 12-year-old boy home sick from school was showering when he smelled smoke. He opened the bathroom door and saw smoke coming from the basement.

The boy ran outside and called 911.

Dedina, 56, from Woodstock, said that within a few minutes thick smoke poured out of the home's windows and flames shot out from the basement.

Fire officials determined the cause of the fire was combustible material stored too close to a hot water heater in the basement.

The home, which did not have working smoke detectors, was ruled uninhabitable.

Fire officials will not identify the occupants, citing department policy.

The technicians, who work out of the Carpentersville Comcast office, said the rescue was their first on the job.

"It was just a natural instinct to see if anyone needed help," St. John said. "My initial reaction was to call the fire department, but we were right there and could do something."

Algonquin-Lake in the Hills fire protection district spokeswoman Kim Matz said the Comcast employees were "absolutely" heroes.

"They threw the ladder to the roof to get the man down," Matz said. "The resident was trapped by smoke and couldn't get out. That's one reason why you should always have at least two ways to get out."

Firefighters from throughout McHenry County assisted Algonquin-Lake in the Hills rescuers.