“The whole thing lit up behind us,” said Kingston firefighter Andrew Nilsen, left, who with Justin Stauss pulled an elderly man from a burning house just before an explosion. Firehouse Magazine honored the pair for their heroism.Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

KINGSTON — Two Kingston firefighters have earned national recognition for a life-saving rescue this year.

Andrew Nilsen and Justin Stauss don't brag about rushing into a house filled with smoke and flames. They shrug and say it's part of the job.

But their daring rescue of a 93-year-old man was more than an ordinary day. This is how firefighters and relatives of the rescued man recalled the heroics:

The call came in about lunchtime on Feb. 4.

Felomena Buonocuore, 83, had been washing laundry in her basement when she unknowingly bumped into the knob on her electric stove and ignited clothes and boxes stacked on the range.

When Nilsen and Stauss pulled their fire engine to the curb at 86 O'Neil St., smoke was pouring out of the windows. People screamed and pointed at the house. Felomena escaped out a first-story window with help from a passer-by, but her 93-year-old husband, Gregorio, was trapped inside.

Through blinding smoke, Nilsen and Strauss dropped to their hands and knees and crawled into the house. They scrambled about 10 feet and began to hear moans. They followed the sound to a back bedroom, where Gregorio had fallen out of his wheelchair.

"I found him! I found him!" Nilsen shouted.

The floorboards were burning, and an orange glow hung overhead — a sign that gases were building up in the room.

"Good, because we've gotta get the (expletive) out of here," Stauss yelled back.

Nilsen grabbed Gregorio's armpit, Stauss took his wrist and the two dragged the elderly man out of the house.

Just in time.

As they reached the front porch, the fire's heat ignited gas that had built up. A small explosion of flames and smoke, known as a "flashover," burst out the doors and windows.

"The whole thing lit up behind us," Nilsen said. "If we hadn't gotten that guy out of there, his lungs would have filled with gas and smoke and he would have been dead."

This spring, Nilsen and Stauss were honored as part of Firehouse Magazine's annual Heroism and Community Service Awards. Only a handful are picked from thousands of candidates each year. The Kingston duo received $100 each and quickly donated it to the regional burn center in Westchester County.

"Bottom line: This is the job we get paid to do," Stauss said.

Meanwhile, repairs are almost complete at Gregorio and Felomena Buonocuore's house. On Friday, their nephew Catello Viviani said the family was grateful for the Kingston firefighters' bravery.

"It could have been a heck of a lot worse," Viviani said. "Thank God they were here."

abosch@th-record.com