EXPLOSIVE READER FOOTAGE: Cape Codder home visiting grabs garden...

HYANNIS – In a phone interview, Steve Merlesena was quick to mention he grew up in the Hyannis area and now lives in Manhattan, where he works as a Real Estate Broker… and that he comes back to the Cape to visit family at least 5 to 6 times a year…

… and it’s a good thing for a local hotel that he was home visiting on yesterday.

Because yesterday afternoon – July 5th, 2018 – Steve and his cousin Andrea Merlesena happened to be driving down North Street past the Hyannis Travel Inn when they noticed a clump of dry ornamental grass burst into flames and quickly begin to spread.

It was then Steve noticed a green garden hose out of the corner of his eye, quickly springing into action and attacking the volatile expanding flames.

Steve’s cousin Andrea began rolling on cell phone video and captured the save right as he was stretching the hose toward a blaze dangerously close to balconies and guest rooms, in what was reportedly a fully occupied hotel.

Things could have turned unimagionably nasty if Steve hadn’t knocked down the flames when he did.

HN was en-route to the fire but diverted to another location upon hearing the fire had already been put out.

As Steve’s greathearted story goes, he didn’t have time to stick around after preventing the near disastrous effects of an expanding wild fire on what had been an extremely hot day, because Steve and Andrea were already in a hurry to catch a local ferry.

So, once the fire was out, Steve, satisfied his work was done, quickly hopped back into his vehicle and hurried toward the waterfront.

But alas, things were not going to be that simple for our new hero, who soon found himself pulled over and detained by a member of our local constabulary, none-too-pleased with Steve’s car possibly traveling a wee too fast down South Street…

“Where’s the fire?” was very likely uttered by the concerned traffic cop… to which Steve replied that he had just put it out!

The cop, valuing discretion and the true nature of his occupation, cut Steve a break after a warning, allowing the cousins just enough time to hop the ferry, where they now had pause to raise a glass while looking back upon Hytown fading, thinking “our work is done here.”

Once a Hytonian, always a Hytonian! Bravo Steve! And bravo Andrea too!

The following EXPLOSIVE READER FOOTAGE highlights the heroics…

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