You are never too old (or too young) to be a hero! One 70-year-old man made the news for doing something that many other sprier individuals might not do themselves – run into a burning home to save a family from certain peril.
Marshall Helm is a 70-year-old veteran that is receiving some much-deserved praise after rushing into a burning building to save people.
Most people are ok to leave firefighters and Spiderman to leap into burning buildings, but for Helm, that just wasn’t an option. Not long ago, Helm was walking his granddaughter to the bus stop when he noticed something alarming.
The bus driver was holding his head out the door, yelling “fire!”
The bus driver could see behind the grandfather and his granddaughter and had noticed that there was a fire. Helm turned and saw the flames licking out from a home not far down the road and knew what he had to do. Despite being 70-years-old and battling cancer, he quickly made his way to the burning building.
The fire was in the garage and quickly spreading.
Going through the door, Helm started yelling “FIRE, FIRE”, hoping to alert anyone that was inside the house. He didn’t know where anything was since it wasn’t his home, but had to try something.
Luckily, his cries didn’t go unheeded. Gary and Kathy Benjamin were in bed when they were awoken by a screaming 70-year-old who happened to be their neighbor. Not the best of wake-up calls, but surely a necessary one!
As the three made their way out of the house, they realized just how bad the fire was.
Kathy told KMOV4 News: “Oh my God, I didn’t know what was happening.”
The flames were coming through the house now, licking up and covering the way that Helm had initially come in through. They were going to have to find another exit. Finally, they were able to get through the back door without a second to spare. Smoke was pouring through the house.
“All I saw was flames coming through the wall,” said Gary.
Safely out of the house, the three were able to share their perspective on the event in a later interview.
The couple is sure that Helm saved their life. From the looks of things, it’s likely he did!
In a later inspection, authorities tried to identify the source of the fire. While it has been officially ruled as unknown, they believe that it was initially caused by a heat lamp that was being used in the garage. The heat lamp was attached to a small chicken coop, warming a few small chicks inside. Sadly, they didn’t make it.
While losing a pet is sad, keeping your life is something to be thankful for.
The couple was very appreciative of their brave neighbor. Kathy shared with KMOV4, “He’s our angel.”
If it wasn’t for a 70-year-old veteran running into a burning building, this news story could have ended in a much more tragic fashion. He truly is a hero!
Check out the video below to see more on this incredible story.
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