A Newburgh man is being hailed as a hero Wednesday after rescuing his elderly neighbor from a garage fire.

Vito Ruhr says when he saw fire coming from a garage next to his house on Columbus Circle he ran over to get his neighbors out of the house. Ruhr says he then heard someone yell help from the garage and went in and pulled one neighbor out of the flames. The Newburgh Fire Department arrived on the scene, extinguished the fire and saved the house.

Fire officials say the 71-year-old man was severely burned in the fire. Investigators say they believe the cause of the fire was accidental. Fire officials say the department?s efforts are commendable but Ruhr is the true hero.