Good Samaritans rescue man from burning house moments before propane tank explosion

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) - A house fire didn’t turn deadly thanks to a couple of good Samaritans who ran to help.

Joshua Schaffer was painting a home on Lakemont Drive earlier this week when he noticed smoke coming from a house across the street.

Schaffer said he and a neighbor ran over to help.

The two broke down the front door of the home and pulled an older man who they found inside.

According to Schaffer, the man was disoriented and hot to the touch.

“You could tell flames were everywhere, and smoke was all through the house,” he said. “You couldn’t hear any fire alarms. It was a really scary moment.”

When the pair pulled the man out of the burning home, he mentioned he had a golden retriever still inside. Schaffer said he ran back into the home to save it.

“I put my shirt over my face, and I ran back in. But it was so hot I immediately had to run back out. You just couldn’t do it,” he said.

Seconds after going back outside, a propane tank exploded and shattered all the windows.

No one was injured, but the search is ongoing for the man’s dog. The family says they are hopeful that their dog made it out during the commotion.

Fire officials said without the good Samaritans’ help, the fire would have had a different ending.

“The fire chief said a lot of people run away from stuff like that, but around here, everybody seemed to want to help,” Schaffer said. “I didn’t even think about it. I just ran to it because I would want somebody to run towards me if I was in a fire.”

He also emphasized the fact that he did not do it alone.

Schaffer plans to head back to North Carolina this weekend to help volunteer with hurricane cleanup in the area.

Williamson County Fire officials said the home that caught fire is considered a total loss.

Copyright 2024 WSMV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.