Quick-thinking neighbors who spotted a fire next door early Friday morning helped two people get out of a burning home safely with their two dogs in tow.
When Atlanta firefighters arrived at the home on Blake Avenue near Braeburn Drive just after 6 a.m., they noticed two cars in the driveway and realized that someone might still be inside, according to spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford. But the two adults had already escaped and made sure their pets were also safe.
They had been alerted to the flames by their southeast Atlanta neighbors, who pitched a rock through a window to wake them up.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“It’s great that you have a neighbor who was up and actually saw the fire and took the time to go and check on their neighbors,” Stafford said. “That’s awesome of the neighbors.”
Upon their arrival, crews found heavy fire on the front side of the house and the entire porch engulfed in flames, Stafford said. Once they were able to get inside, they discovered the fire had extended into the living room.
They were able to get the blaze under control before it spread into other parts of the home, Stafford said.
Thanks to the neighbors’ quick alert, no one was injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Stafford said. He added that fire crews did not hear alarms going off when they entered the house, so he wasn’t sure if the smoke detectors were working.
