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As house fires go, the one early New Year's Day wasn't a doozy, but for rookie firefighter Henry Calle it was a big one.
Calle, who is 24, had just finished his 24-hour shift at Station 31 on Ridge Road and was heading home with his car windows down.
As he passed a small white-frame house on MallardCreek Road, he caught a whiff of smoke. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smoke, pouring from the attic.
Calle made a U-turn and dialed 911.
"I was pumped," he said. "I knew that I had to call it in as soon as I could and get those people out."
He pounded on the front door. No answer. He raced around back and pounded on the back door. Still no answer.
Back to the front door he ran. Knock! Knock! Knock! Finally, a man appeared.
Your attic is on fire!
Calle's quick thinking saved two people and their dog from possible injury or worse, said Capt. Chuck Morris.
"When he told us the story and the things he did, it was almost like he was seasoned vet," Morris said. "He did what he was trained to do."
Morris said he's been with the fire department 19 years and in all that time has happened upon only two fires while off-duty. "It's kind of a rare occurence for a firefighter," Morris said.
But who better than a firefighter to discover a house fire? This one was due to an electrical malfunction and caused an estimated $15,000 in damage.
Calle has worked as a firefighter for about 16 months. He grew up in Queens, N.Y., son of immigrants from Ecuador. He became a firefighter, he said, hoping to make a difference.
On New Years Day, the rookie did just that.
