A neighbor helps a woman and her children trapped inside a burning home in Bond Hill. The children were dropped from the windows to escape the flames. That neighbor says the children's screams woke him up this morning, and he ran to help. Local 12's Angela Ingram talks with this local hero.
The man who helped catch the kids tells Angela he was praying that God would help him and that he wouldn't drop them. He says when he heard the screams and saw what was happening, he told his wife to call 9-1-1.
A frantic woman was then comforted by neighbors as she watched her house burn. Only minutes before, she was trapped inside on the second floor and smoke filled her house. "I seen smoke, and I heard my neighbor screaming."
Donna Carnegie wasn't the only neighbor who heard the screams. Ryan Kupiec lives next door to the home on Grafton. He looked out his window and saw his neighbor in trouble. Kupiec ran to a side window, and the mother yelled for him to catch her kids. Kupiec says, "She dropped her son first, and I was scared to catch him because he's so little. I knew if he fell it could be bad, and then she dropped her two daughters."
The 4, 10 and 13-year-olds were all safe. Neighbors tried to get the mother out, but the smoke and flames were too much. Neighbor Donna Carnegie says, "Well, I was emotional. I was basically trying to keep her from being so overly emotional... It's hard because she was basically just worried about the children."
Firefighters used a ladder to rescue the woman. They also saved the family dog and her four puppies. Neighbors are grateful that they were able to help and the family is safe. "Well, I hope if my house was on fire or anything was going on, I hope that somebody would come out and help me."
"And I thought once everybody leaves, she still has a house that's burned up, and that made me sad, but at the same time, I knew they were safe, and that I was thankful for."
The Red Cross did come to help. People who live on the street say they believe their neighbor is staying with family members.
Food on the stove caused the fire. Firefighters say the damage to the house is roughly $15,000.
