YORK, Pa. (WHTM) -
Ask Jordan Rupp how he managed to carry both his girlfriend and his three-year-old son from a burning home Sunday night and he'll credit instinct - but not his own.
"One of our cats just came barging in the room. They forced the door open," the 22-year-old Rupp said as he stood in borrowed clothes outside his charred West Manchester Township home.
Rupp says the fearless instinct of their two cats - forcing through the door to alert the family to the fire - provided just enough time for the three to get out onto the roof.
Make that four.
"I went and talked to the occupants and that's when I was told she was pregnant," West Manchester Township Fire Chief Dave Nichols said.
So on top of all of that, Jordan's girlfriend Dani is nine months pregnant.
When crews arrived at the home on West Philadelphia Street Sunday night, neighbors already had ladders out.
"They didn't have a ladder long enough so our firefighters put a ladder up to the porch roof and assisted the family down," Nichols said.
While all personal items and supplies for the new baby have been destroyed, Rupp's spirits are high.
"Everyone is safe and that is the most important thing," he said.
Sadly, not everyone. Their two cats, "Gir" and "Vader," never made it out of the burning home despite their heroic instincts.
"Those cats saved their lives," Nichols said. "They owe a debt to those cats."
Nichols said the home did not have any working smoke alarms.
