16-year-old rescues man from explosion
Published: May 14, 2008
Deon Garrett did not wait for emergency workers to arrive Monday May 6 before he helped rescue a man from a house on Detroit’s west side that had just exploded.
The 16-year-old heard the blast and ran from his nearby home to see a man whose leg was on fire standing on a second-floor balcony.
“I could see something in his eyes that he was scared for his life,” Deon said.
The man was one of two injured in the explosion about 8 p.m. at 1507 Lee Place near Rosa Parks Boulevard. Capt. Steve Varnas, of the Detroit Fire Department’s Arson Section, said the cause of the blast was unknown, although neighbors said a man could be seen lighting a cigarette at the house just before the blast.
Varnas said the house was supposed to have been vacant since December. He identified the two men as Edward Hardwick, 31, and James Herrell, 52. Both were taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital. Their conditions were not available.
The house was between two other vacant houses. At least one of those other houses also suffered damage from the explosion, Varnas said.
When firefighters arrived, they found one of the men lying in the street.
It was unclear which man Deon rescued.
The Northwestern High School student said when he spotted the man on the balcony, he climbed up the side of the house and grabbed the man’s arm, pulling him to the ground.
The man “was just screaming for his life,” Deon said. “He was in shock so I was in shock, too.”
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: