I flipped the door off the man on the ground. It was the super of the building. He was a tall man with dark hair, graying at the temples. I’d seen him around over the years. I thought his name was Mike.

He looked up, but his eyes didn’t focus well. I didn’t have time to worry about spinal injuries. I had no idea what had exploded and if something else was going to blow up.

I shouted, “Mike, we’re on the clock. I gotta get you out of here right now. I’m going to lift you up. Do you understand?”

He nodded weakly.

I started to pull him upright and realized he was much heavier and sturdier than I expected. I draped him over my shoulder like a long piece of limp lasagna. Now I had him in a classic fireman’s carry.

I waddled down the hall and reached out with my left hand to guide Mrs. Siddiqui carefully down the stairway. Every time something popped or a new wave of smoke floated past us, I jumped. I expected something horrendous to happen.

At the landing, halfway between the first and second floors, Mrs. Siddiqui needed to stop for a moment. She was coughing and I gently pushed her toward the floor and out of the thickest smoke.

I said, “Can you make it? I can come right back for you.”

She waved me off. Then she stood up and started down the stairs, this time leading me.

By the time we reached the first floor, I could hear sirens in the distance. My eyes felt like someone had splashed Clorox in them. I could hear Alicia calling to me from the front door. She had someone’s dog by the collar and a wriggling black cat in her right arm.

We all came through the front door at about the same time. Coughing and sputtering. The cat squealed and jumped from Alicia’s arms. It scampered toward the edge of the yard.

The little dog yapped.

Mrs. Siddiqui stepped in the grass and hacked, trying to clear her airways. Alicia stepped over to help her.

I struggled down the walkway with the big super across my shoulder. He started to cough as well. That was a good sign. At least he was breathing.

I set him down gently on the swale in front of the apartment building. A small crowd started to gather.

I felt a little dizzy from the smoke and the exertion. I plopped down on the grass next to the super. When I looked up, Natty was running toward me.

“I could see the smoke as soon as I got to my car. Something told me you’d be involved.” He turned and checked the super. He spoke in a comforting tone, telling the man to relax and breathe.

Now the fire engines were arriving. Two paramedics raced to the fallen super.