82-Year-Old Woman Rescued from Alabama House Fire: 'She’s Just Grateful for Her Life'

An 82-year-old woman was rescued from a house fire in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, by a family member and good Samaritans who were passing by.

Firefighters responded to a house fire call shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Tuscaloosa Fire Department. They learned en route to the scene that a person may have been inside in the home.

ABC3340 reported that an 82-year-old woman resident was watching television in her living room when the house began to fill with smoke.

“She was explaining how she heard a lot of loud noises and stuff but by the time she went to see what it was the house was already filling up with smoke,” the woman’s granddaughter Sharda Smith told ABC3340.

“Her main concern when it happened was, ‘I’ve got to get out of this home,’” Smith told the outlet.

The victim was attempting to open her front door when a family member and good Samaritans who witnessed the fire while passing by came to her aid, according to the outlet. The make-shift rescue team then carried the woman out of the home to safety.

Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Tim Shanahan recounted the fire to ABC3340.

“We got there and found an attached garage that was on fire and extended towards the attic of the trailer,” said Shanahan.

WBRC reported that firefighters were able to tame the fire after they arrived on the scene. 

The woman was taken “to the hospital in stable condition,” according to the Tuscaloosa Fire Department.

ABC3340 reported the victim did not have any injuries, but “the home is a total loss.”

“It’s kind of saddening for her, but she’s kind of got the mentality and spirit that it’s all material, these things can be replaced, she’s just grateful for her life,” Smith told the outlet. 

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