Off-Duty Southold Police 911 Operator Saves Family from Fire

An off-duty public safety dispatcher saved a family of five from a house fire in Mattituck, according to the Southold Police Department.

Donna Lane, a veteran dispatcher with the Southold Town Police Communications Division, was driving home from her shift on Thursday night when she noticed flames engulfing the back of a home at 17950 Main Road.

Realizing the family inside might be sleeping, unaware of the danger, Lane began banging on the front door and windows of the house, all while keeping in contact with 911 dispatchers. After several tense minutes, she managed to wake one of the occupants, who alerted the rest of the family — two adults and three young children, aged 7, 4, and 1. The family escaped the rapidly spreading fire just before the Mattituck Fire Department arrived on the scene.

Firefighters from several departments, including Cutchogue, Jamesport, and Mattituck, battled the blaze for over two hours. While they were able to extinguish the fire, the home suffered significant damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad and is not believed to be suspicious.

The family confirmed to first responders they had been asleep at the time and were unaware of the fire until Lane banged on the door.