A six-alarm blaze on East 93rd Street claimed the life of 25-year-old Lemmy Thuku. There could have been more fatalities if it weren't for the quick action by a group of our city's bravest. NY1's John Schiumo filed the following report.

This is the moment a life was saved: the moment firefighter James Lee rapelled on a rope from a rooftop to rescue an elderly man on Manhattan's Upper East Side. 

"I just told him to stay calm, and when we got down, I said, 'I hope you enjoy the ride,'" Lee said. "You know, he sort of smiled, and he was, you know, he was thankful."

The man, 81-year-old James Duffy, was trapped on the fifth floor of a burning building early Thursday morning. 

The FDNY's bravest moved into action. This was not a drill. 

"We set up, we got ready to go, and the only thing in my head was that we had to save this man." 

"Hope nothing happens to him. Hope I tied it right. Hope we took the turns right," said firefighter Andrew Hawkins. "All the training comes back to you, and you say, 'Alright.' And now I can say the training works."

Firefighter Lee says the operation on East 93rd Street was a team effort. The rope was their last resort, with only minutes to spare. 

"I was just the guy on the rope who went down to get him," Lee said. "They made the evolution happen and seamless."

"It was a career fire. This was a big one," said firefighter Walter Gilroy.

The early morning heroics caught the attention of Mayor Bill de Blasio. He visited the Engine 53 Ladder 43 Firehouse the next day. 

"It’s a true life story that you would expect in a Hollywood movie," de Blasio said. "But I really wanted to express my admiration."

As we've come to expect, the stars in this story aren't doing it for the fame. 

"I was doing my job," Lee said. "And that's what we do. We're firemen. We do what we have to do if somebody's life was in danger, and we just do it without thinking about it. You just get it done. No matter what."

"They all should be very proud of themselves, as I'm proud of them for what they do," said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. "Very few people in life risk their lives for others."

So, for pulling off a daring and dramatic rescue, the firefighters who saved James Duffy are our New Yorkers of the Week.