At the scene of charred rubble where a quaint brick house sat the night before, parents met the student who carried their son from his bedroom to safety just moments before it was engulfed by flames.

"You saved my son's life," Seth Mattleman's mother said quietly while giving the stranger-turned-hero a hug.

That person is Matt Emmerling (senior-communications). He saw smoke on the back porch of the house at 700 W. College Ave., and without hesitation, he ran inside. He found Mattleman (junior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management), who was sleeping, and carried him to safety.

At about 4:30 a.m. yesterday, moments after Emmerling and Kevin Mahoney, Class of 2005, retrieved residents of the burning home, the Alpha Fire Co. responded to the scene with the help of Ferguson and Patton fire departments.

The flames had already gutted the inside, State College Police Department Detective Ralph Ralston said. They were unable to save anything inside the house, leaving 10 Penn State students homeless. Ralston said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

But thanks to Emmerling and Mahoney, everyone inside got out safely.

Emmerling said another bystander called 911 while he and Mahoney, who was walking by the house at the time, retrieved at least three people who were downstairs and unaware of the blaze originating from the back of the house.

"We just walked in the front door and told everyone to get out right away," Emmerling said.

Ralston said the firefighters tried to gain entry to make sure everyone was out, but it was too hot and there was too much smoke.

"The people that were in the house got out OK, and all the residents were accounted for," he said.

Mahoney said that after leading the people who were downstairs out to safety, he and Emmerling asked if anyone else was in the house.

"They told us there were some people sleeping, so we immediately went back inside," Mahoney said.

That is when Emmerling ran inside the house and found Mattleman.

"I owe him my life," Mattleman said, choking back tears.

During the emotional meeting with the Mattleman family, Emmerling told them just what happened the night before.

"The minute after I got [Mattleman] out of his bedroom, the house just went up in flames," Emmerling said.

Resident Joe Rowan (junior-advertising/public relations) said he was also sleeping upstairs in the house at the time.

"I was asleep and would have never known, but someone came and yelled to get out," Rowan said. "I can't even think about what would have happened to me if it wasn't for his bravery."

Mahoney woke Rowan up and rushed him outside. Emmerling said he also found another person in the bathroom and quickly dragged him outside.

"When I ran inside, all I could see was black smoke," said Emmerling, who works in The Daily Collegian's business division as a sales representative. "A couch on the back porch was already on fire, but I didn't have a doubt in my mind that I needed to get everyone out."

Resident Kevin Oliver (junior-biobehavioral health) said he was across town when he got a phone call that his house was on fire.

"We hurried back, and the house was just gone," Oliver said. "Everything I own is in that house."

Oliver said he hasn't even begun to think about where he and his roommates are going to live now, but he said he hopes Penn State can help them out.

Resident Matt O'Brien (junior-accounting) was with Oliver when they received the phone call. When they got back to the house, the fire trucks were already there.

"It is just surreal," O'Brien said. "I just saw the fire trucks, and I was thinking, 'This can't be happening.' "

Other residents of the house are Penn Students Bill McElroy, Ed Crane, Eric Keck, Mike Weinstein, Brian McHale and Matt Hickey.

Penn State Residence Life Area Coordinator Ryan Steinberg said Penn State gave the 10 residents places to stay in Hoyt Hall, and the Red Cross gave them all complimentary rooms at a motel.

"We'll be able to give them permanent spaces on campus," Steinberg said.

He said they also notified all of their professors through Lion Support to give them a few days to work through the crisis without having to go to classes.