Neighbor rescues man from fire

Sept. 3, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - An elderly man with 90 percent hearing loss was saved from a fire by his neighbor, who was up late sharpening knives early Friday morning.

&#8220He was ornery,” said Jack Krill Jr., chief of Central Mat-Su Fire Department, describing the elderly man. &#8220It was hard to get him out.”

The call came into the station about 12:30 a.m. about a fire on one side of a duplex at 4460 W. Sprucewood Drive. The fire started in a planter, ran up the exterior vinyl siding and entered the attic. The neighbor smelled smoke, saw the fire and banged on the older gentleman's bedroom window to wake him up, Krill said.

There was no smoke inside the duplex, so the smoke detectors didn't sound an alarm.

&#8220He wouldn't have been alerted until the roof fell in,” Krill said. &#8220I told him he owes his neighbor his life.”

Because the man woke from a sound sleep and didn't hear well, he was disoriented. And since there was no smoke inside, he didn't believe his home was on fire.

&#8220We had trouble getting him to stay out of the house,” Krill said. &#8220He actually had to be dragged out of the house.”

Firefighters were able to cover all the man's belongings before they pulled the ceiling down, which saved his personal property. The man had no renter insurance, something Krill recommended for everyone who rents.

&#8220It's cheap,” he said. &#8220The structure may be insured by the owner, but not the belongings.”

The fire was the third in as many months that started by someone putting a cigarette butt in a planter, Krill said. The 75-year-old told firefighters he liked to sit on the porch and smoke, and that he put his cigarettes out in the planter.

&#8220A lot of people don't understand organic materials will burn,” Krill said. &#8220It smolders for a long time.”

It is possible, because of his hearing impairment, the man may not have heard the alarm even if the smoke detectors did go off. Other alarms are available, Krill said, including visual detectors with strobe lights and vibrating pads for the bed.

If people have an impairment and are concerned fire detectors won't work for them, they can contact local or state officials for assistance getting detectors with additional features, Krill said.

&#8220Other neighbors might not be awake,” he said. &#8220He was very lucky. No one got hurt.”

Contact Mary Ames at 352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.