Published November 20, 2015
A New York City neighborhood is in mourning after the death of a firefighter recently hailed as a hero.
Purple and black bunting hangs from Lt. Gordon Ambelas' (ihm-BEHL'-ihs) Williamsburg, Brooklyn, firehouse.
That's were fellow firefighters and community leaders congregated Sunday to grieve together and share their remembrances of the 14-year veteran.
The 40-year-old Ambelas was overcome with smoke and flames while searching for possible victims Saturday in a cluttered apartment near the top of a public-housing high rise.
Firefighter, friend and former roommate Eric Bischoff says Ambelas "died a hero."
Ambelas helped the city through the recovery from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and Superstorm Sandy.
In May, he helped save 7-year-old Mendy Gotlieb, who became trapped in a roll-down gate.
Mendy's family says Ambelas was his "savior."
https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-mourns-hero-firefighter-killed-searching-for-possible-victims-in-high-rise-blaze