--
Nov. 06--Authorities say a 19-year-old Virginia Commonwealth University student saved an 81-year-old man from a Fan District fire.
Amina Kaabi, a native of Tunisia, helped the man out of his burning, smoking apartment at 1501 Floyd Ave. late Friday after alerting two people living upstairs and grabbing their dog.
"God has a plan for everything," said Kaabi, who comes from a devout Muslim family.
"She saved his life," Richmond Fire Lt. Shawn Jones said.
Jones did not have the man's name but said he is an Air Force veteran. Kaabi identified him as Kenneth Arthur and said he had lived in the apartment for many years.
Even if Arthur had survived on his own, he would have suffered severe burns, Jones said.
Kaabi was on the porch of her apartment in the 1400 block of Floyd Avenue with a sister, Olfa, and friends about 11:15 p.m. when she noticed flames in a window at Arthur's place diagonally across the street.
The flames resembled the light from candles at first, Kaabi said. Then the curtains burst into flames.
Kaabi ran across Floyd to check the house's address. She and her sister called 911. Kaabi ran back to her house for a fire extinguisher but couldn't find it.
Then she ran back to the burning house. Luckily, she said, the front door was unlocked.
Kaabi alerted a couple living upstairs and grabbed their dog even though, she said, she's afraid of dogs.
As the three went downstairs, she passed off the dog and checked the downstairs bedroom.
Arthur was on his feet, but he had trouble walking because of back problems, Kaabi said. She led him to her apartment and put him on her couch until authorities arrived.
The fire apparently was caused by an electrical problem in the basement, Jones said. The blaze caused more than $35,000 damage.
A relative of Arthur's is taking care of him, Kaabi said. Neither Arthur nor the relative could be reached for comment.
Kaabi and her family came to the U.S. from Tunisia in North Africa in 2004, in part to find better educational opportunities for the children.
Her mother, Jannette Mensi, lives in Alexandria. Her father, Kamel Kaabi, died in a car wreck in Tunisia in April.
A sophomore majoring in economics, Kaabi speaks excellent English, which she took up in 2004, and is quick with a smile. She said Saturday she was still trying to make sense of the fire.
"When I woke up this morning, I was in a state of shock," she said. "All I could say was, 'Wow. That's crazy. That really happened.'"
[email protected] (804) 649-6453
