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Pennsylvania woman saves elderly neighbor from house fire

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Posted at 10:39 AM, Oct 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-27 15:20:06-04

A Pennsylvania woman is being hailed as a hero after she saved her neighbor from a house fire.

Katrina Aviles told WGAL that she noticed smoke coming out of her neighbor's windows and doors.

When she realized her neighbor was still inside, she ran to help.

"And I put his arms around my neck, and I carried him on my back, and I told him we have to go," Aviles told the news outlet.

He asked her to go back inside to grab his oxygen tanks.

But when she heard the tanks popping, she ran out of the house.

"I was terrified. I was terrified I wasn't going to be able to carry him the whole way," Aviles said.

Police arrived at the scene in minutes and helped take him to safety.

The officers also helped firefighters extinguish the flames.

"The volunteer world sometimes we're a little understaffed, a little light, but we made it happen," Lafayette Fire Company's Scott Hershey said.

Firefighters believe the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction with the man's oxygen tanks.

"It was tough to watch, especially with him beside me," Aviles said.

But she says she's grateful her neighbor is ok and he'll be back home soon.