A neighbor who ran toward a burning house on Bellwood Road instead of waiting outside for crews likely saved two lives Sunday afternoon in Enterprise, according to the city’s fire chief.
Flames were showing from the two-story home when Marvin Pinckney, who lives a few doors down, went inside to reach an elderly resident and her caregiver, both of whom were trapped as smoke filled the house. Pinckney, who retired from the U.S. Army after 30 years of service, said the fire had already cut off the normal ways out.
“We couldn’t go out the back, we couldn’t go through the front because there was so much smoke, so the only way out was a bedroom off to the front of the house,” Pinckney said. “I pushed out the screen. By that time neighbors were in the front and was able to pass her through the window and got the other occupant out as well.”
Chief says the outcome would have been different
Enterprise Fire Chief Chris Davis said his engine companies reached the scene within minutes of being dispatched, but that the fire was advancing quickly enough that a few more minutes could have been fatal for the two women.
“He’s the epitome of my brother’s keeper. He didn’t have to act, he could have just called 911 and made no further steps,” Davis said of Pinckney. “As progressive as the situation was, it is quite clear that we would have had a different outcome if he had not acted. He’s a very humble man.”
Davis credited the rescue with the condition both women were left in. “If they were in there any longer, it is very likely that one or both of the occupants would not have made it out of that house,” the chief said.
Pinckney said the only thing on his mind inside the house was the two people he was carrying. “All I kept saying to myself is don’t let them be hurt, don’t let anything happen to them,” he said. “The house can be replaced, but they are special people and I am very fond of them both.”
Cause still under investigation
Both women were taken to a hospital for observation and were reported to be in good shape afterward. Davis said the cause of the fire had not been determined, but that investigators believe it started in the garage or toward the back of the home.