Neighbor Quickly Runs To A Burning Home And Pounds The Door Saving Family of Six
Neighbor Quickly Runs To A Burning Home And Pounds The Door Saving Family of Six
It is true that sometimes, God puts you in the right place and situation so you can offer help to those in need. That is exactly what this neighbor felt when he ended up saving a family from a house fire.
Jennifer Graves, a healthcare worker, returned home after her shift at around 5:30 a.m. As she neared her home in Parkland, Washington, she became aware of something unusual about a neighbor’s residence.
In an interview with KIRO 7, she explained, “It looked like a bonfire. But it was too big.” And as she got closer, she realized the situation was much worse than it first appeared to be. She continued, “And the closer I got, the scarier it was. And I just called 911.”
It was a family of six that resided in the house. According to Captain Darrin Shaw, it was Graves who started hammering on the door to ascertain whether or not the family was inside and if so, to alert them of the fire.
When the family appeared and safely exited the blazing house, Graves told reporters that she realized that only five of them had made it out. The couple’s 11-year-old daughter was not with them, she was still inside that burning home.
The father sprinted back into the house and up to the second floor, where his daughter was. Then it all happened too quickly. Now both of them found themselves trapped.
Graves saw their struggles and encouraged them to jump. Firefighters came, but they were forced to chop down plants on the property before they could gain access to the house’s entry.
The father and daughter were rescued but they had incurred injuries. Both of them were immediately taken to the hospital.
The Central Pierce Fire & Rescue posted on February 26th, writing:
“A family of six was saved from an early morning house fire in Parkland by the swift actions of Mrs. Graves (returning home from work), by calling 911, pounding on the doors waking the occupants, helping with the evacuation of the kids, and two adults.
The father is being treated for burns and smoke inhalation; the children are being treated at a local trauma center for injuries sustained from jumping from the windows and burns. The Pierce County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.”
The father was in critical condition when he was taken to the hospital. Despite that, the family is thankful because if it hadn’t been for Graves, the entire family could have perished.
Captain Shaw said, “Had it not been for the neighbor today, knocking on doors, waking them up, we would have definitely had a very different outcome.”
But according to Graves, it seems like she was there for a reason. She said, “God put me in the right place at the right time.”
The fire department is using this story to warn people to check their smoke alarms and to seal their room doors at night so that if a fire does break out, it has a longer time to spread before it is controlled. They also stated that it is critical to ensure that your home is easily accessible for emergency vehicles.
If you’re not sure, your local fire department may be able to help you out with this.
