A family and their dog are safe after an on-duty EMT rescues them from a fire that broke out at their New Scotland home on Tuesday, July 7th.

EMT Jake Houck with the Albany County Sheriff's Ambulance was driving down New Scotland South Road Tuesday night when he radioed dispatch around 10:15 p.m., notifying them of a house with flames coming through the roof of 405 New Scotland South Road.

Houck, who is also an assistant chief with the Onesquethaw Fire Department, grabbed his fire extinguisher and ran in to assist a woman, her two kids and their dog out of the structure.

"I ran to the back of the house to see if anybody was outside," said Houck. "When there was nobody outside I went to the front door and as I got to the front door the smoke was rolling out of it and the family met me at the front door."

He brought them to shelter inside the ambulance where they refused medical treatment.

Chief Craig Shufelt of the New Salem Fire Department says it took about an hour to completely extinguish the fire.

All residents and their dog were assisted out of the home by Houck and Shufelt says there was also a rabbit inside whose condition was unknown at the time.

There were power lines connected to the home that fell in the yard and Shufelt, who is also an electrician, says he coned off the area until National Grid arrived.

The New Salem, Onesquethaw, Voorheesville, Berne/East Berne, Knox, Slingerlands, Delmar, North Bethlehem fire departments all assisted as well as the Bethlehem FAST Team.

Also on the scene were Albany County Paramedics, Albany County Sheriff's Department and New York State Police.

There were no injuries reported on the scene besides heat related illnesses.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.