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Good Samaritan Talks About Ninth Street Fire
Family members are still in shock from Thursday's house fire.
"It happened so quick," Deshawn Gardner, a relative of the victims, said. "I woke up at 12:00 at night and you see the whole house on fire,"
The large flames from Thursday's fire drew attention from the whole block, including John Hemphill's child.
"He said he heard some people making some noises, and he looked out and he could see the flames from his window in here so he woke us up," Hemphill said.
He said he instantly ran over to the home, without grabbing any shoes. A truck driver was already at the scene trying to help the five people inside escape the flames.
"There was a man and a woman there, and he kicked in the back door," Hemphill said. "Then smoke just poured out so thick you couldn't see anything."
Hemphill and the truck driver, whom he calls Larry, tried to rescue the victims from one of the second level windows.
"I'm hollering, 'Larry get him out. Come on, please, come out,' because I thought he was still conscious, but apparently he wasn't," Hemphill said.
Four people lost their lives in the fire, including 63-year-old Victor Hudson and 55-year-old Douglas Oaddams. Two Lanphier High School students, 16-year-old Donald Lewis and 14-year-old Deonte Lewis, also died.
A young cousin watched as firefighters brought Deonte out of the home.
"He was burned bad and couldn't do nothing because they wouldn't let me go across the tape and was feeling--I felt like I just wanted to break down and cry," Deshawn Gardner said.
Family and friends set up a memorial on the charred porch. Even though John Hemphill was able to help save one of the victims, he still struggles with the fact that he couldn't save the others.
"The worst thing is knowing I knew there was people in there, because I lived across from them for years," Hemphill said. "I knew that kid was in that upstairs bedroom."
Good Samaritan Talks About Ninth Street Fire
Family members are still in shock from Thursday's house fire.
"It happened so quick," Deshawn Gardner, a relative of the victims, said. "I woke up at 12:00 at night and you see the whole house on fire,"
The large flames from Thursday's fire drew attention from the whole block, including John Hemphill's child.
"He said he heard some people making some noises, and he looked out and he could see the flames from his window in here so he woke us up," Hemphill said.
He said he instantly ran over to the home, without grabbing any shoes. A truck driver was already at the scene trying to help the five people inside escape the flames.
"There was a man and a woman there, and he kicked in the back door," Hemphill said. "Then smoke just poured out so thick you couldn't see anything."
Hemphill and the truck driver, whom he calls Larry, tried to rescue the victims from one of the second level windows.
"I'm hollering, 'Larry get him out. Come on, please, come out,' because I thought he was still conscious, but apparently he wasn't," Hemphill said.
Four people lost their lives in the fire, including 63-year-old Victor Hudson and 55-year-old Douglas Oaddams. Two Lanphier High School students, 16-year-old Donald Lewis and 14-year-old Deonte Lewis, also died.
A young cousin watched as firefighters brought Deonte out of the home.
"He was burned bad and couldn't do nothing because they wouldn't let me go across the tape and was feeling--I felt like I just wanted to break down and cry," Deshawn Gardner said.
Family and friends set up a memorial on the charred porch. Even though John Hemphill was able to help save one of the victims, he still struggles with the fact that he couldn't save the others.
"The worst thing is knowing I knew there was people in there, because I lived across from them for years," Hemphill said. "I knew that kid was in that upstairs bedroom."
