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Neighbor helps woman inside burning home

Posted at 11:25 PM, Apr 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-21 23:25:02-04

JENSEN BEACH, Fla. -- A Jensen Beach woman is recovering in a Miami Burn center with critical injuries following a house fire, according to Martin County Fire Rescue.

Her husband, Ed Maxwell, says his wife is 68-year-old Becky Kreider.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fire Rescue says she was found in a bedroom. The fire was contained to that room.

A neighbor across the street, David Watroba, says he could smell the smoke from inside his home.

He grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran.

“I didn’t think I just went. I knew elderly people lived there,” Watroba said.

Once inside the smoky house, he could tell the fire was in the bedroom, but didn’t realize anyone was in there.

“I was yelling if anybody was there, please respond…. I got not response.”

He sprayed his fire extinguisher from the outside through the bedroom window onto the flames.

Fire Rescue arrived minutes later, put out the fire and rescued Greider.

“I was really surprised she was able to live if she was found in that bedroom… the flames and the smoke in there were just so intense,” Watroba said.

Watroba says this was the second time he has helped put out a fire at that home.

Maxwell says their pet cat did not survive.

He says that will be the hardest part of the entire incident for his wife.