The quick-thinking actions of a next-door neighbor in Texas helped save an elderly woman who was sleeping as her house filled with smoke.
Early Wednesday morning, the Amarillo Fire Department (AFD) responded to a report of a house fire on the 1600 block of NW 15th.
When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming out the front door, and they discovered upon entering that the whole house was filled with smoke due to a “smoldering” carpet fire, the AFD stated in a Facebook post.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and were able to clear the house of smoke.
“This fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials,” the AFD stated.
No injuries were reported, thanks to an unidentified next-door neighbor who heard the smoke alarm go off.
Knowing that an elderly woman who used a wheelchair lived in the house, the neighbor rushed inside to find her and bring her to safety. The occupant apparently was sleeping when the neighbor discovered her.
Although fire officials did not get the neighbor’s name, they praised his heroic actions on social media.
“If you see this man today, shake his hand. He is a hero! With his quick actions, he was able to save his next door neighbor this morning from a fire,” the AFD wrote.
The fire department added a warning about the need to extinguish smoking materials properly and have a working smoke alarm system in each home.
The heroic actions of this neighbor follow other inspiring recent stories of individuals saving their neighbors from structure fires.
In August, a 17-year-old western Pennsylvania teen helped save multiple neighbors from an apartment complex fire by using a trampoline to ease the landing for those jumping out of the building, Breitbart News highlighted.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.