What to Know
- Tense moments were captured on Chopper 4 camera as a raccoon desperately tried to escape a house fire in New Jersey
- The raccoon was seen desperately trying to escape the heavy smoke, first trying to crawl down the roof, then getting scared and reversing
- Minutes later, it seemed to fling itself off the roof, dropping what appeared to be a story to a lower level, and ran off apparently unhurt
A raccoon that had been stuck at the top of a house being devoured by fire in New Jersey made a daring plunge, dropping at least a story to a roof or awning below, after nearly 10 tense minutes and appeared to scurry off unscathed, Chopper 4 footage showed.
The three-alarm blaze on Delavan Street in New Brunswick broke out shortly after 1 p.m. Friday. Chopper 4 showed raging flames at the scene.
The raccoon was seen desperately trying to escape the heavy smoke, first trying to crawl down the roof, then getting scared and crawling back up. It was later seen trying to make its way around the side of the roof away from the smoke.
Minutes later, it tried to nestle around a satellite dish. Then it plunged off the roof -- a terrifying moment that prompted audible gasps in the News 4 newsroom -- onto a lower ceiling and appeared to scuttle off.
It wasn't clear what sparked the fire, which appeared to affect several homes. No injuries were immediately reported.
