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Teens stay calm during fire |
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Tuesday, 10 March 2009 |
By ANGELA WEAVER
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — Four local eighth-grade students happened to be in the right place at the right time on Friday evening.
After traipsing around the city on Friday evening, Charlie Eberle, Jacob Little, Cole Atkins and Dominique Campos stopped to talk with the Axes on Motz Street, when Luke Axe smelled smoke.
“We looked in the direction of the fire and heard kids screaming,” Charlie said. “When we heard the kids screaming, we all kind of thought the same thing.”
Jacob, who said the group originally thought it was a bonfire, called 911 after the group headed to 409 Parker Street, where they saw the source of the blaze — an unattached garage.
“We asked Doug (Obringer) if he needed help,” Jacob said. “It was like a movie.”
Obringer, who lives at the residence, moved a truck from the structure and the group of 14-year-olds helped push another car from the garage. The group also was able to assist the children at the residence.
“We got the kids away from the house,” Charlie said, adding that they offered to take the children to the nearby Dairy Queen.
The group estimated the three children were 5, 11 and 13.
“We took them to Kerns,” Charlie said. “Every time they looked at the fire, they would scream.”
Charlie stayed with the children, while the other three went to speak with the police on the scene.
The St. Marys Township Fire Department, St. Marys City Police Department, St. Marys City Electrical Department and Dayton Power and Light provided support on the premises.
“We were just sitting there looking at the garage and thought about how it could’ve been if we hadn’t showed up,” Charlie said.
The group was interviewed by Auglaize County Deputy Jeff Albright, Jacob said.
“After that we went home and they called back for us to give involuntary statements,” he said.
When firefighters extinguished the blaze, the boys said there was nothing left in the structure.
“There was nothing left in the garage,” Jake said, adding that it smelled like plastic.
A truck was left in the garage and burned up, the boys said.
“All that was left of the truck inside was a bumper,” Cole said, adding something he learned that night. “A lot can happen between Thursday and Saturday.”
The flames from the garage hit one side of the nearby house and caused a fire on a utility line in the area.
“It was a good thing we were there,” Charlie said. “Everybody was lucky.”
Overall, the group had the same mentality about the blaze.
“We’re just happy the kids were OK,” they said.
The first fire unit arrived at the site at 7:51 p.m., according to a news release from the St. Marys Township Fire Department. Fire Chief Chad Hicks told The Evening Leader the state fire marshal was on the scene Monday and will rule the cause as undetermined, pending further investigations. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 13 March 2009 )
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