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The second story of the residence at 13 Church Street was fully engulfed in flames when firemen arrived on the scene at approximately 4:46 p.m., said Fire Chief Tom Dickensheets.

The house is owned by Janet Trigger, whose father, Clyde, 74, was alone, downstairs, when the fire broke out.

Shane Edgerton, 18, of Melvin and Jimmy Sarazin, 17, of Avoca were playing basketball at a nearby youth center when they noticed smoke coming from the roof of a house about a 1/2 block away. The man's two daughters and two children ages three and four were outside when they noticed smoke coming from the roof vents. One daughter called 911 to report the fire and then went inside to get her father out, but he refused to leave so she went for help.

When the teens got to the house they heard a lady yelling that her father was inside and could not get out. Both teens ran inside and found the man, who is an Alzheimer's patient and uses a walker, in the living room.

"They seen the smoke. They ran to the house and they carried the 74-year-old male out (before the police and fire fighters arrived)," said Dickensheets, reading from the fire report.

They "got the gentleman safely out. They did a good job," said the chief.

According to the press release, the boys acted without regard for their own safety and then returned to their basketball game. Police Chief Dave Hall explained to the teens that the fire could have gotten much worse in just a few minutes and the man could have been trapped inside, and thanked them for their actions.

The teens then asked Hall to contact their parents and tell them about the boys' good deed.

Firefighters contained the flames to the upstairs, where "eighty percent was gutted out," Dickensheets stated. The second floor was used for storage.

"We got right up there with a hose line and put the bulk of it out right away," said the chief.

Approximately half the downstairs area sustained water damage, but no fire or smoke damage.

Lexington firemen assisted in extinguishing the blaze, which started in a furnace pipe upstairs. Approximately 23 firefighters were on the scene.