Neighbors save life in Truesdale house fire

Adam Rollins, Staff Writer
Posted 1/26/23

An overnight house fire in Truesdale last week could have been deadly for one woman if neighbors hadn’t taken quick action to rescue her from the blaze destroying her home.

Around 1:40 a.m. …

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Neighbors save life in Truesdale house fire

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An overnight house fire in Truesdale last week could have been deadly for one woman if neighbors hadn’t taken quick action to rescue her from the blaze destroying her home.

Around 1:40 a.m. on Jan. 19, neighbors heard a noise like an explosion and looked out to see a fire in a home on Laura Street, said Warrenton Fire Captain Matt Dabbs. He was on duty at the fire station when the call came in, and said he quickly recognized the address as being just two doors from his own home.

“I knew the lady living there is handicapped, so I had a pretty good indication at the time that we probably had to do a rescue,” Dabbs said. 

That meant firefighters had only a few minutes to respond. Modern home construction materials are highly flammable, meaning a blaze can get out of hand very quickly, Dabbs explained.

In this case, it wasn’t the firefighters, but the neighbors and a resident who saved the life of a woman living in the home. Neighbors came outside to find that only one of the home’s two residents had made it out, and immediately took action to rescue the woman still inside.

Their quick reaction likely saved the woman’s life, Dabbs said.

“If they wouldn’t have done what they did ... even though we were probably only a minute behind their rescue, she would not have made it. That’s how close of a situation, how bad the fire was,” Dabbs commented. He said the woman suffered smoke inhalation and some slight burns. She was taken to the hospital for treatment, but Dabbs said family members have been in touch and let them know that she is recovering.

The other resident who made it out, and then helped rescue his housemate, sustained minor injuries to his arm and minor smoke inhalation, Dabbs added. 

Once firefighters arrived, they contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to any other houses, but the interior of the home was completely destroyed. Truesdale police officers evacuated neighboring homes during the fire response, and ambulance crews cared for everyone at the scene and took the woman who was trapped to the hospital.

The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation by the state fire marshal’s office.

Dabbs commented that all of the people who took part in the rescue deserve to be celebrated. He said he’s grateful that those people are his neighbors, and that he was also proud to see that one of the rescuers was his son, 17-year-old Ashton Dabbs. Ashton has been training as a junior firefighter since he was 14, Dabbs said.

While the fire captain doesn’t recommend people run into a burning building, he said this was an example of how young people can help their community when they’re educated in how to respond during an emergency.

It’s also an extreme example of why it’s so important to have a fire escape plan.

“You don’t have much time. Seconds and minutes absolutely make a difference between life and death. Have an exit plan beforehand,” Dabbs said. “When it’s full of smoke, even if you know your own house, you can very easily get lost or disoriented. More families need to practice exit plans in the home, what to do and where to go.”

House fire, Rescue

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