Stepfather rescues girl, 9, from blaze
Published: December 4, 2006
A 9-year-old girl was injured in a fire Saturday morning before being rescued by her stepfather, who ran into the burning mobile home, neighbors said. [You’re Not My Daddy: Guidelines To Becoming A Successful Stepfather]
The girl was transported to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she was treated for burns and smoke inhalation, neighbors said. The hospital didn’t release any information.
Identities and explanations of what happened weren’t available Sunday because police and fire fighters couldn’t be reached for comment.
The mobile home at 12815 County Road 121 was completely charred and gutted. Walls had collapsed. A trampoline near the house was covered with ash and rubble.
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It still was dark out Saturday when neighbor Fay Parks was awakened by screams.
“I woke up and the lady next door was screaming and hollering,” Parks said. “I looked out the window and her living room was really blazing.
“I never saw anything go so quick. … Before the fire department could get there, the whole building was on fire.”
Family members escaped the fire in their pajamas, she said. When the stepfather realized the 9-year-old was still inside, he went back, Parks said.
“The stepfather told me he was more afraid than he’d ever been in his life, going into that fire and getting that child out of there,” Parks said.
Neighbor Wayne Baker said friends were trying to set up an account for the family at Country Federal Credit Union in Baldwin. He said someone in the girl’s family told him she suffered injuries and smoke inhalation, but will be OK.
“They lost everything,” Baker said.
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