Concerned neighbors and Jacksonville firefighters saved a woman and her elderly father and uncle from a Lackawanna house fire Thursday morning.
A neighbor woke up about 6 a.m. for work and spotted flames and smoke coming from the home at 3218 Thomas St. and ran to beat on the door to alert those inside, said Priscilla Williams, one of the victims.
"I woke up and ran straight outside, kind of hysterical," Williams said.
Neighbors grabbed a garden hose and began to attack the flames coming from the living room at the front of the house, near Williams' bedroom.
"I ran around to my daddy's room and beat on the window," Williams said.
But she got no response.
Firefighters arrived within about four minutes of receiving the call, said fire department spokesman Tom Francis, and "they saw smoke coming out the front door and the neighbors were outside screaming."
They entered the house where smoke had already cut visibility to zero and rescued the two elderly men from their bedrooms.
"Both bedroom doors were closed," Francis said. "They would not have been able to extricate themselves."
Williams said her father is 80 and relies on a walker, and her uncle is 83.
Francis said Thursday afternoon investigators determined the fire was caused by an extension cord buried beneath a pile of clothing, blankets and magazines in the front room.
Batteries in the home's smoke detector were dead, Williams said.
Francis said people need to check their smoke detectors with the time change this weekend. He added that even if it is working, part of the check should include changing the batteries and dusting or vacuuming the device. People also can call (904) 630-2489 to see if they qualify for a free detector.
This time, however, alertneighbors and the efforts of the fire department were enough.
"My neighbors really helped me out," Williams said. "And I thank God for them."
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
