Incredible Video of Firefighter's Close Call as Roof of Burning Building Caves In

Several Michigan firefighters escaped an incredibly close call Thursday when the roof of the building they were on started to collapse.

They were tasked with going up to the roof of a burning dry cleaners to make holes to release some of the gas inside. Without any warning, the fire broke through from the store's ceiling and part of the roof gave way, Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV reported.

In several heart-pounding moments caught on tape, Dearborn firefighters Joe Murray and Lt. Steven Bucholz form a chain and pull Mark Farrell up over a ledge, saving him from sliding into the hole and the raging fire beneath them.

“As soon as I felt it going I just reached for that wall,” Farrell told WXYZ. “Thank God for both of these guys."

He told the station he didn't realize how close of a call they'd had until they saw it reported on the news.

"We all came off the roof and went back to work,” Farrell said. “Oh man, I was closer to the hole than I thought it was. And it wasn’t until I saw the video that I realized that."

He said they had no warning the roof was about to go.

"It was like fine and I was cutting and then it just dropped.  It’s not like it was getting lower and lower, that’s just it right there,” Farrell said.

He gave every credit to Murray and Bucholz.

“As crazy as it was at the time they both kept level heads and our lieutenant was just giving us instructions calm and collective and telling us what to do.  And were able to work through it,” he said.