Neighbor, Wilmington Police officers save woman from fire

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams is praising two officers for taking action to save a woman from a fire, and a neighbor is describing how he was able to help.

It happened in the 1000 block of Lincoln Court in the Hillcrest community around 8:20 p.m. on Monday.

Hillcrest resident Junior Faulk says he was getting something out of his truck when he noticed smoke coming out of his neighbor’s home.

“I seen her when she waved at me before she went in the house, so I knew that she was in there, and I tried to get her out of there,” Faulk said.

Faulk says he jumped into action, trying to break through the windows to get in.

“I busted the kitchen window out and tried to bust the side window out,” he said.

That’s when Officers Kyle Petrone and Bradley Speight with the Wilmington Police Department and a New Hanover County Sheriff’s deputy arrived to help. WPD says Ofc. Petrone reached through a window to unlock the door but it was too hot to touch. They continued to kick the door in until it buckled and they could open it, at which time Ofc. Petrone, Ofc. Speight and a NHCSO deputy walked approximately five feet into the apartment — through heavy smoke and heat — and located an unresponsive 39-year-old female victim on the floor with severe burns. They pulled her out of the apartment just as EMS was arriving.

“Me and the police officer were kicking on the door, so I did the last kick and kicked the door in and I seen her on the floor,” Faulk said of his neighbor. “Her arm and stuff like that was messed up.”

Officers found the 39-year-old victim with severe burns and pulled her out of the apartment just as ems was arriving. Officer Petrone and Faulk were both taken to the hospital for potential smoke inhalation.

“It was a scary situation, but I couldn’t let nobody burn like that,” Faulk said.

Faulk says he’s thankful he happened to be there at the right time.

“She might have been dead,” he said. “So you know, God puts you in the right place.”

“This is another example of our officers going above and beyond the line of duty,” said Chief Donny Williams. “The easy thing to do would have been to stand back and wait for the fire department to arrive, but these men put their own safety at risk to save someone else’s life, and they didn’t hesitate for a second. They didn’t stop to think about that person’s race, gender, economic status — it didn’t matter. They took action, and I’ve seen that happen several times over the last few months.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Wilmington Fire Department.