ELMWOOD PLACE, Ohio – Some Good Samaritans came to the rescue of woman trapped in her burning building Saturday evening.
Lamar Gentry said he had just returned to his apartment building at 5908 Vine St. about 6 p.m. when he saw the smoke. He said he ran inside and heard his neighbor screaming on the second floor.
“The only thing that was going through my mind at that time was saving her," Gentry said.
“I seen the smoke coming around the door, heard the lady screaming, ‘Come in! Come in! Please come in.’ I kicked the door in," Gentry said.
The fire started in an upstairs apartment, officials said. There were five people in the building at the time. The others got out safely.
Gentry’s neighbor was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
“To save the lady, that was my whole focus. That was more important to me than anything else that was in my apartment … to see her and make sure she was cared for at that time," Gentry said.
Robert Cooley also sprang into action.
“I called 911 and we all sat down here and, as you see, they took care of business," Cooley said.
“We all came, one by one as a team, and did we had to do to get this person out," Cooley said.
The cause of the fire had not been determined.
