Strangers help bring Northern Liberties residents to safety during fire
Strangers help bring Northern Liberties residents to safety during fire
Moments before flames completely took over the top of the row homes, Tanner Beaudin says he and his boyfriend were working from home in their third floor apartment completely unaware.
PHILADELPHIA - Two strangers stepped up to help residents get out of a burning Northern Liberties row home.
It happened around 11:15 a.m. on North Fourth Street near St. John Neumann way. The plume of smoke could be seen for miles.
Moments before flames completely took over the top of the row homes, Tanner Beaudin says he and his boyfriend were working from home in their third floor apartment completely unaware.
"People were buzzing on our doorbells, we thought it was a delivery it happens a lot so we were ignoring it," he said. "It was just a regular day for us and then everything just happened so quickly."
Nearby, the fire missed Beaudin’s neighbor Ben Deibert's home by inches.
"I heard my wife, on my third floor scream oh my god there's a fire," he said.
It appeared to start on the roof only two buildings over above the unit Beaudin and his partner were renting. Beaudin says their hard-wired smoke alarm never went off though it was tested a few months ago and was working. They didn't realize the gravity of the situation until two strangers opened their door.
"The fact that they literally ran into a burning building, they didn't know what to expect? I just, I don't know what would've happened if it weren't for them and that's the scariest part," Beaudin said. "I wish I knew who they were, I wish I could thank them."
Deibert says there was a man who grabbed one of his families’ dogs that ran away from his wife. He hadn’t seen the man before or since, but says in that instance that everybody tried to help and save other residents.
After the inferno, the generosity towards those involved is still pouring in according to residents.
"To have that response, it made the best of the worst situation. We've been receiving donations to help us get settled help us replace some of our stuff," said Beaudin.
In surviving this situation, Beaudin is making sure to inform people of how quickly this can happen.
"Check your smoke detectors know, make sure you have access to fire extinguishers, make sure you have an escape plan," he said.
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