An Amazon delivery driver became an unexpected hero after she helped an 84-year-old woman and her three pets escape a burning house in Harford County yesterday. The rescue occurred after the woman, alerted by her dog's barking, discovered smoke billowing outside her basement window. As the fire engulfed her front porch, the driver, who was in the area for a delivery, noticed the flames and immediately called 911, WMAR-2 News reported.
The driver then saw the distraught woman attempting to flee through a side sliding glass door, and, without hesitation, assisted by pulling her to safety. The woman's dog managed to escape on its own. The rescue operation took place shortly before the Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company, and Bel Air VFC arrived, and it took firefighters roughly 20 minutes to control the blaze, as per the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal's investigation into the incident.
The cause of the fire was attributed to improperly discarded wood stove ashes, which had been placed on the front porch, according to the Fire Marshal's Office. They issued a stern warning urging residents to treat all ashes as hot and to store cooled ashes in a metal container located a safe distance away from any buildings. "PLEASE! Treat ALL ashes and coals as HOT ashes, even when you think they've had time to cool," the Fire Marshal's Office emphasized in a statement obtained by WMAR-2 News.
Thanks to the driver’s prompt action, the elderly woman who was the only person at home during the incident, survived unharmed. Neighbors expressed their gratitude with one, Donna Ichniowski, recounting how the driver was "very humble" but swift in her rescue efforts. The woman's grandson, Marques Chavis, expressed heartfelt gratitude in an interview with CBS News, "Very, more thankful than she could ever imagine. I couldn't tell her then, but I love her to death. Thank you." Fire officials have reiterated the importance of fire safety, especially regarding the proper disposal of ashes. "We suggest is put those ashes in a metal bucket, put them away from our house, 10 to 20 feet away," Master Dep. State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire advised.
The fire left the woman, her son, and daughter-in-law displaced, with damages estimated at $150,000 and additional content values around $100,000. Following the escape, the family’s two cats fled, and anyone with information about an orange or a black and white cat in the Harford County area is encouraged to reach out to WJZ in a bid to reunite the pets with their owners.
