JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
Three women said they were fortunate to be alive and thankful for their teenage neighbor after he rescued them from their burning Northside home overnight.
Fire investigators said the fire broke out Saturday at a home on Ken Knight Drive at about 4:40 a.m.
They said a mother and two daughters were having trouble getting out of the burning home because burglar bars blocked the front door.
Latavisa Bell, 17, said he heard the women screaming and came to do what he could to help.
"I heard three young ladies yelling from the burglar bars. So, I ran back in the house and grabbed a shovel. The shovel broke," Bell said.
He said his next instinct was to get a hammer.
"I tried about four times with all my weight on the burglar bars. By the fifth time, it popped open and the ladies fell out like dominos on top of each other," Bell said.
After being freed, the women were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Firefighters continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
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