This Harry Houdini needed help from the New York Fire Department to escape a life-threatening predicament.
The FDNY helped rescue a pooch named after the famous escape artist from a burning Upper West Side apartment building Saturday afternoon.
Eric Powers was asleep in his second floor apartment at 202 West 96TH street when he heard a woman yelling for someone to call 911. The main hallway on the second floor had already filled with smoke so Powers fled the building using the fire escape.
He was able to carry his yellow lab, Gangsta, down the ladder but Powers was forced to leave Harry Houdini, his nine-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, behind. Powers climbed back up into the building and carried Harry out onto the fire escape before handing him off to a firefighter, who carried the dog down a ladder to safety.
A relieved Powers hugged friends while Harry drank a bottle of Evian once the two were safely out of the building.
"I have everything that's important with me," remarked Powers as firefighters put out the flames.
The FDNY responded with more than a dozen trucks, engines and emergency units and 60 firefighters to the two-alarm fire.
The fire started in the rear of the building around 1:17 p.m. and spread to the basement and first floors. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
