‘God just put her here’: Woman saves family from burning home

Nicole “Niki” Cotto doesn’t normally take Cleveland Road to her DeKalb County home.

While it’s not clear why she decided to take that route Tuesday night, Bill Thomas is just thankful she did.

It was Cotto’s persistence that saved his 72-year-old mother and her guests from a blaze that ultimately destroyed Jo Williams’ home, he said Wednesday morning.

Nicole “Niki” Cotto poses for a picture with two of her four children. (Credit: Family photo via Nicole Cotto)

Williams was celebrating the Fourth of July in her kitchen, unaware of the fire. Her guests were partying and enjoying a fish fry in the basement, Thomas said.

Cotto had just taken a friend home when she saw sparks in Williams’ garage about 11:30 p.m., put her car in reverse and called 911.

Her efforts did not end there.

She honked her horn, hoping to get the attention of someone inside the home. No response.

She walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. No one answered.

She even looked for a water hose. Couldn’t find one.

Finally, she noticed lights on in the back of the house. Cotto started banging on the door until someone answered.

“Get out of your house,” she yelled. “Get out of your house! Your house is on fire!”

A group of people rushed out of the home without injury.

Cotto said she doesn’t know what came over her.

“I felt like I was possessed by somebody else,” she said.

She watched in awe as a small fire engulfed the home and sent the roof caving in, she said.

“It literally happened so fast,” Cotto said.

Nicole Cotto snapped this picture of a blaze that destroyed a DeKalb County home. (Credit: Nicole Cotto)

Thomas sat in his truck Wednesday morning, looked at the shell of his mother’s home and cried tears of thanks.

“God just put (Cotto) here,” he said.

Bill Thomas cried in front of his mother’s burned home after a fire in DeKalb County. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Thomas asked Cotto if there was anything he could do to repay her.