CLEVELAND — A group of good Samaritans came to the rescue to save a woman and her son after their home on West 32nd Street caught on fire Monday afternoon in Cleveland.
“We saw this woman screaming, so we stopped thinking she needed help, but she said the house was on fire,” said Ralph, who helped save the family from the burning home.
A blistering cloud of smoke emerged from this home on West 32nd Street in Cleveland Monday afternoon, leaving the block shut down for hours and causing neighbors like Ralph, who didn’t want to share his last name, to spring into action.
“All I did was tell the woman to jump. Otherwise, she was going to be burned,” said Ralph.
Meanwhile, three other men, including Ralph’s friend and Daas, stood at the bottom to catch Amanda from the burning home.
“I told her to jump. She said, 'I’m scared.' I told her, 'jump. You’re staying alive,'” said Daas.
Eventually, Amanda did gain enough courage to jump from the home’s second floor, thanks to the group of good samaritans stepping in to save her and her son’s life.
But unfortunately, she said her cat and dog didn't make it out in time.
“Nobody was home,” said Amanda. “My son just went to work. My other son, neighbors kicked in the door, and they got him out.”
“We can’t, like, don’t help people. We have to help altogether to stay alive,” said Daas.
As the men rescued Amanda and her son from the burning home, Public Information Officer Lt. Mike Norman said crews continued to battle the fire for hours.
“The whole back you could see was burning and the front was full of smoke,” said Ralph.
In a statement to News 5, Norman said the fire appeared to start in the back of the home and spread to the home next door, with two cars being damaged by the heat and resulting in $100,000 in damages.
Four people, including Amanda and her son, got out and received assistance from the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, he said one firefighter received minor burns to his face/neck and was taken to a local hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.
“My neighbors are awesome. I don’t know them unfortunately, but they’re some brave people,” said Amanda.
Norman said this fire is still under investigation, and News 5 will share more information as it becomes available.
