STOW, OH — A 12-year-old Stow boy is recovering with his family after being rescued from an early morning fire that destroyed the family’s home.
Neighbors called 911 around 2:00 a.m. Tuesday after they saw fire coming from the two-story house on Ridge Meadow Drive.
One of those neighbors said he heard a series of pops and then a loud bang, looked out the front door and saw the fire.
Ryan, who didn’t want his last name used, said he threw on his shoes and ran to help.
“I wanted to make sure everyone was safe and away from the house,” he said.
As the family who lived in the home gathered, they realized six of the people inside made it out.
The family’s 12-year-old son was missing.
“When he said his kid was in there, my stomach went over,” said Ryan. “It made me sick just to think about that.”
That’s when Ryan, a father himself and former EMT, said his training took over.
“In the moment, I don’t think I was thinking,” he said. “I just knew what had to get done.”
He said the wall of flames inside the front door was too much, so he and another man raced around the back of the house to a sliding door.
The men broke the glass and headed inside toward the basement where the 12-year-old was.
Ryan said the fire and disorienting smoke closed in on the pair once inside the house.
“It’s like being in hell,” said Ryan. “All you see is flames and then what you don’t see is what’s in front of you.”
Next door, Kathleen Souza could only watch.
“It’s a sickening feeling,” said Souza. “You feel very helpless.”
But that helplessness was soon replaced by relief after Souza saw something that looked straight out of a movie.
“What I can see is two men holding a tall 12-year-old underneath the arms,” said Souza. They were part dragging him, and he was part walking.”
The 12-year-old went to the hospital, where he was treated and then reunited with his family.
His father said he was thankful everyone got out of the house and was okay.
Ryan said they didn’t have time to hesitate.
“By the time we exited, I think in that minute the back of the house was on fire as well from what the firefighters were saying.”
“There was an angel, guardian angel somewhere that sent these men in there to get him out,” said Souza.
But Ryan insisted he’s not a hero.
He didn’t want his last name used because he didn’t want the recognition.
Instead, the former EMT who’s now studying to become an emergency medicine doctor, insisted he only did what he needed to do in the moment.
“I just live here, right,” said Ryan. “It’s just happenstance I guess. In this case, happy happenstance.”
Stow’s fire chief said the home is a total loss.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire.
