ST. PETERS, Mo (KMOX) - Three men are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a couple in their 70's from their burning St. Peters home Wednesday afternoon. One of them, John Kerwin, was mowing when he saw smoke and sprung into action.
Central County Fire & Rescue says it's a good thing those heroes were there, because firefighters were delayed due to a traffic and vehicles stopped to look at the huge billows of smoke.
When Kerwin got the home on Westwinds Drive another neighbor told him the man who lived there was sitting in his rocking chair on the smoke-filled front porch. There were flames roaring from the garage, into the house.
"He was sitting there, I knew he would have burned," Kerwin says. "I just reacted.
"I just took off running, ran in there, and when I grabbed Bill he collapsed down. He had been burned on his back and arms."
He said he was surrounded by swirling black smoke, but "just started dragging" the man away to safety.
Then, he went back for the man's wife who was standing at the front screen door.
"I just grabbed her and pulled out, and she fell," Kerwin says. "We both went down and I'm screaming for help."
Another neighbor and a passerby helped Kerwin drag the couple into a neighbor's yard.
Kerwin suffered some smoke inhalation, cuts and bruises. Bill, the resident, suffered severe burns, but no injuries were reported for his wife. And the family dog was found safe in the backyard rescued.
One of the three rescuers drove off in a construction truck and CCFR says they would like to talk with him.
"Unfortunately, our response to the home was delayed by a gridlock of nearly 100 vehicles that had slowed down or stopped on the roadways to look at the smoke that could be seen for miles," says CCFR Deputy Chief and Public Information Officer Jason Meinershagen. "We are reminding all of our residents, if you see an emergency vehicle, please move to the right as quickly as possibly. It can make a life saving difference."
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home and two vehicles were completely destroyed.
CCFR was assisted by the O’Fallon Fire Protection District, St. Charles County Police Department, St. Charles County Ambulance District and the Central County Community Assistance Program.
“Situations like these are also an excellent reminder of the importance of working smoke alarms. When working, these simple devices can give you and your family the time you need to safely escape a house fire,” says Meinershagen.