Good Samaritan helps rescue grandfather, 2 kids from burning home
A man is being hailed as a hero after he helped rescue three people, including two children, from a house fire in Saco, Maine.
The good Samaritan was working on sealing a neighboring driveway on Cleveland Street at about noon Tuesday when he noticed smoke and flames coming from a home across the street.
Witnesses said the worker ran over to , went inside and helped a man and his two grandchildren escape safely.
"The smoke and the fire was so big and came on so quickly. They were all fortunate to make it out, and their dog, too," said Courtney Boudreau, who lives next door.
Boudreau said she was walking home from the store and thought her house had caught fire.
"I walked back, and when I saw the flames go up, I actually heard a crash. The glass had exploded," she said.
Officials said the single-story house is rented by a family from Vermont. Neighbors said the two children spent a lot of time there, and that they and their grandfather got out of the burning home just in time.
"Everybody was crying and it was very chaotic, as you can imagine," Boudreau said.
Temperatures were in the 90s at the time of the fire and a heat advisory was in effect due to the high humidity. Saco Deputy Fire Chief Robert Martin said so that there would be enough crews to swap out during the extreme heat.
"On a day like (Tuesday), after 15 to 20 minutes, you've got to give them a good 20 minutes to a half-hour to cool down (and) to be able to get their equipment off just to get rid of and dissipate some of that heat," Martin said.
, Shamos Paving and Sealcoating of Windham identified the good Samaritan as Tyler Johnson. A fellow Shamos employee said that Johnson was back to work on Wednesday.
"Rarely do you go to work any day thinking you're going to have to go into a burning building to help someone, and anyone who can do that with that kind of courage — without knowing who's inside — deserves to be thanked," said Saco resident Rick Towle.
The Maine State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the house fire. The family who lives at the home is being assisted by the Red Cross.
