A group of neighbors in Maryland sprang into action to help a mother and her two children escape a house fire — and a doorbell camera across the street captured the frantic moments.
Fire crews responded to a house fire in Middle River on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 7:12 a.m., according to a Jan. 6 press release from Baltimore County.
When firefighters arrived, the mother and her two children were already outside and safe. Officials said all three suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. A dog inside the home did not survive, the release noted.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Baltimore County Fire Department shared Ring camera video from a nearby home showing neighbors rushing outside as orange flames poured from a large bay window. In the footage, residents can be heard shouting for a ladder while dark gray smoke billows from an upstairs window.
At one point, a neighbor caught two children as they were dropped from a second-story window. Another resident later positioned a ladder to help the woman climb down to safety.
“This incident is a powerful reminder of the strength of our communities,” Baltimore County Fire Chief Joseph Dixon said in a statement, according to the release.
“Before our fire and EMS crews arrived, neighbors acted without hesitation to help a mother and her children escape a dangerous situation. I want to thank these residents for their courage and selflessness and commend our crews for their swift response in extinguishing the fire and providing medical support,” Dixon added.
Police also used the incident to remind residents to make sure smoke alarms are installed and working throughout their homes, according to the release.
Speaking with local outlet WMAR 2, Steven Angelini — the neighbor who owns the Ring camera and caught the two children — said he reacted on instinct after realizing someone was trapped.
“My immediate reaction was I want to make sure that everyone’s out of the house,” he told the outlet.
“By the time I got to the middle of the street, I heard horror screams. It was haunting, it was scary, and I knew it wasn’t good,” he added.
Angelini said he tried to get a ladder to help, but a recent arm injury prevented him from doing so.
“My next option was, you know … they probably have, maybe a minute, seconds left to live, so I told the mother to drop the kids to me,” he recalled.
Even so, he downplayed the praise.
“I think God puts me in situations to help other people,” he said. “I did what I would want anyone else to do for my family.”
