News Headlines

Update: Neighbors Rescue Neighbors

Fire raced through a Park Avenue neighborhood apartment building, but this sad story has a silver lining. Two men ran into the burning building to save their neighbors, who were complete strangers.

Posted: $util.date("h:mm a MMM d, yyyy",$story.contentLiveDate,$timeZone)
Reporter: Gary Smollen

Neighbors Rescue Neighbors
Families Displaced By Apartment Fire

Fire raced through a Park Avenue neighborhood apartment building, but this sad story has a silver lining. Two men ran into the burning building to save their neighbors, who were complete strangers.

Firefighters said the blaze started outside of the building at 30th and Mason around 2:15 p.m., but it quickly burned its way into a back porch and spread heavy smoke throughout the converted house.

The area doesn't have a very good reputation but the people who live there are trying to turn that around. The fire and rescue may go a long way to changing people's perceptions about Park Avenue.

One thing is certain; people who had been passing acquaintances truly became neighbors but only after one of them kicked in the door to the other's apartment.

While firefighters tear up a back porch chasing the flames Stephanie and David Sopcich are counting their blessings. One of those blessings is the action of their neighbor.

David Sopcich says, "We heard some yelling outside and then I smelled a little bit of smoke and then the neighbor came up and knoced our door down and told us to get our because of the fore so we just grabbed what we could and ran out of the house."

Justin Smith and another man ran into the burning building in an effort to alert the seven or so families that live there.

They knew it was a race against the smoke and flames but neither figured they had any options.

Justin Smith says, "There was a couch on fire beside their house and before you know it the flames were all the way up to the roof."

They had also managed to burn their way inside the apartment building. Smoke was billowing out of the apartment, the flames covered the back of the house and were headed toward the attic.

Justin and the other man did what they felt was right even if it meant a little trouble at home.

Justin Smith says, "My kids weren't happy and neither was my wife but I told them I said, I hope somebody does the same for you if I'm not home. I mean they wouldn't want to be up there sleeping and just burn up."

The Sopcichs and everyone else evacuated the apartment just in time. Many of them had Justin and the second man to thank for alerting them to the fire.

Originally the Sopcichs thought the pounding on their door was an intruder, that's why Justin had to kick the door open.

Firefighters did a good job of containing the fire to the one building. They not only had to fight the fire but winds as well and other apartments just a few feet away from the fire.

No one will be able to stay in their apartment overnight. The Red Cross is helping many of the displaced families.

Older homes that have been remodeled into apartments pose a bigger risk for firefighters. "Rooms aren't where you expect them to be, the stairs may or may not be where they should be because they take the houses and cut them up to get as many apartments as they can,” noted OFD Assistant Fire Chief Steve Ausdemore.