Jul 19, 2008 10:24 am US/Central
Bystanders Help People Escape From Fire
(WCCO)
Everyday people became heroes late Friday night after they saw flames shooting out of an apartment building in St. Paul, and quickly rushed to help.
The first call to 911 came in just before 10 p.m.
The apartment building is located at 1668 North Larepenteur, near the corner of Hamline and Larpenteur.
"The flames started coming out the door, and all of a sudden, I could see the flames coming out of the upper windows," said Robin Pettit.
She and her husband, Bob Pettit, were at the gas station across the street and they ran to help.
She called 911, and he went straight for the building to see who was inside.
There are eleven units in the building. Bob found John Thoreson in his apartment.
"I told him just stand back, so I just grabbed the window and ripped it right out, and I tried to throw it to the side, so he wouldn't get cut on his feet when he got down, and I grabbed his leg, and we just tried to lower him down to the ground," Bob recalled.
"They're trying to get us out! I heard them running around out there. I went to the window, and they're there, and they're saying, 'Get out! Get out!'" recalled Thoreson. "And I jumped down to where these guys were. They all caught me before I hit the ground, and I got out, thankfully, and God, I'm still kind of shaken a little bit. Something like this has never happened to me before."
About 30 St. Paul Firefighters battled the flames. They rescued five people in the building.
Two of those people went to Regions Hospital, but none of their injuries are life-threatening.
One person from the third floor had to go out the window by tying sheets together.
Witnesses said some clerks at the gas station across the street grabbed fire extinguishers ran to the building and helped put out the flames even before firefighters got to the scene.
The St. Paul Fire Marshal said he's not sure yet how the fire started.
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