(Bernice Corpuz/WBZ NewsRadio 1030)
DORCHESTER (WBZ-AM) -- A Dorchester father says he's grateful nobody was seriously hurt after he woke up to a fire in his Ashmont Street home early Wednesday morning.
Joe Cullen said he was disoriented when his fire alarms went off shortly after 2 a.m., but he told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz that his fatherly instincts kicked in.
"I woke up to smoke," he said. "My first thing was I ran into my daughter's bedroom, couldn't find her, kind of yelled out at her."
His wife and daughter were actually away on vacation, but he wasn't thinking straight. The flames were intense, the smoke was overwhelming. A fire was blazing in the kitchen.
"You can't get past it," he said. "You literally can't breathe."
He somehow managed to get out of the house, ran across the street, and knocked on the door. Neighbor Sean Doherty ran out to help.
"I heard him say, 'Could you call 911? My house is on fire'," he said.
Despite all the irreplaceable items he lost in the fire, Cullen is grateful no one was hurt--and glad his neighbors were there to help.
"They've been great, my neighbors have been amazing," he said. "Super helpful, everybody brought me water and food and clothing, I'm very grateful."
One firefighter was taken from the scene with non-life-threatening injuries. Boston Fire said the fire caused about $400,000 in damages.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz (@BerniceWBZ) reports