Chadbourn police officer rescues man from house fire

CHADBOURN, NC (WWAY) —A police officer rescued a man from a large house fire on Saturday, January 21.

The brother of the man whose life was saved is speaking out about the heroic act.

Fire crews and Chadbourn police responded to a fire in the 100 block of South Pine Street in Chadbourn around 10 pm on Saturday.

Ricky Haynes says he and his brother Edward Dowe live at the home.

He wasn’t there at the time, but rushed home when a family member told him the house was on fire.

Haynes tried to enter, and saw his brother asleep on the couch.

Haynes told officers on the scene and that’s when Officer Everett Lewis rushed inside and pulled Dowe from the burning home.

“As soon as I opened the door –the flames, the draft hit me, and I couldn’t do nothing about it. At the time, I still didn’t see my brother, because the smoke was covered. So, I seen his feet, and so I’m like man –my brother in there. So, the police and the officers came and got and drug him outside,” said Ricky Haynes, brother rescued from fire.

Haynes is thankful, and calls the officer a hero for saving his brother.

“They came and got him out just in time, because if they didn’t, ain’t no telling what would have happened,” said Haynes. “So, we got him out, –we got him out in time.”

Haynes says he is grateful nobody was hurt.

However, the home was left completely damaged by the fire.

“We totally loss everything. I mean, we’ve got to start over from everything. So, Red Cross is supposed to be helping us out with a lot, so hopefully everything will work out fine for us,” said Haynes.

Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackman says he believes the fire to be accidental and seems to have started in the kitchen, but the cause is still under investigation.