A Georgia homeowner has told how a quick-thinking passerby saved her from a fire last month by kicking in a locked storm door.
David McConnell said FOX5 Atlanta On the afternoon of Oct. 29, she was taking a nap at her Winterville home when she woke up to noises coming from the kitchen.
“I heard crackling, crackling, crackling,” McConnell said, adding that she thought the sound would go away and went back to sleep.
McConnell first realized something was wrong when the fire alarm went off. He told the media that he jumped out of bed and found thick smoke engulfing the house.
Firefighters pull toddler from burning apartment building in dramatic early morning rescue: video
On October 29th at approximately 5 p.m., firefighters were called to a house fire in Winterville, Georgia. (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department)
“I couldn't see out the back door or the window,” McConnell said. “That was pretty scary.”
McConnell said she tried to leave the house through the front door but found the shutters were locked.
Fire officials said the roof collapsed when emergency personnel arrived. (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department)
Good Samaritan Dylan Betts, who was driving by on his way home from work, saw the smoke, stopped his car and rushed to help.
“I tore it open and then kicked it in,” Betts said of the locked shutters.
No injuries were reported from the fire. (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department)
Betts said he walked into the house through a “thick wall of black smoke” and started screaming.
Body camera footage shows an Ohio woman being pulled from her basement to safety while her home is engulfed in flames upstairs.
“Luckily, Mr. David heard me and came to me right away,” Betts told FOX5.
The fire is believed to have started in the garage and then spread throughout the house. (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department)
When the outlet asked Betts why he would risk his life to save a stranger, Betts replied, “Why not? That's America.”
McConnell said his family called Betts “our hero” and gave him tickets to the Georgia-Tennessee football game as a small thank you for saving his life.
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The fire started in a garage and spread throughout the building, according to the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department. Firefighters arrived and found the situation deteriorating, including a collapsed roof. No injuries were reported.
