Toledo neighbors rescue elderly couple from house fire
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Three Toledo locals sprung into action after noticing a couple trapped on their roof during a house fire. The group helped get the couple down from the roof of their burning home.
Sheldon and Floria Overton live on East Oakland Street. They were woken up early Saturday morning to the smell of something burning. The owners say the house filled with smoke, and they had to escape through the upstairs window.
Jeremiah McNutt was the neighbor who grabbed the ladder and ran over to the home when he saw the fire.
“I just ran straight to grab my ladder, when they came down, I handed them off to them since I was standing on top and they kept the ladder sturdy,” McNutt said.
Jemark Walker was driving by on his way to pick up his daughter when he noticed the flames. He parked and helped carry the couple away from the flames, and made sure they were ok.
“It was cold outside and he said he was cold. I took my hoodie off and put it on him. If you see somebody in need, no matter what the situation is try and do what you can to help,” Walker said.
The rescue was completed by the neighbors before the fire department arrived.
The Overtons say they were taken to the hospital and stayed overnight. When they returned to the home the next morning to see what they could salvage, it was broken into. The family had lost their home and any valuables that did survive the fire were stolen.
“Somebody broke in and they took everything that we had, took all my tools, my lawnmower, old coins, cash. They took everything,” Sheldon Overton said.
The couple was devastated by the fire and told 13 Action News they plan to make a GoFundMe in hopes of getting help from the community after they just lost their home.
Sheldon Overton said it’s devastating to lose his home, but is also blessed his neighbors stepped up when he needed it most, and that it says a lot about the community.
“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what would have happened to us,” Overton said.
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