A neighbor and a police officer helped rescue a man whose RV was ignited in flames late last week.
The fire broke out at Grand Avenue Mobile Home Park at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27.
Noreen Down was getting ready for bed when she heard a loud noise.
A portable propane heater burst into flames in the trailer directly across from her.
She says the fire fully engulfed her neighbor’s RV.
“I tried to call 911 but I was just instantly shaking because the sound was so loud and the force from the fire was shaking my home,” Down said.
Once on scene, neighbors told police someone was trapped inside the RV.
“I could hear the person screaming," Officer Sam Castillo of the Grover Beach Police Department said. "That was in my mind for a little bit even after I got off that day."
The trailer door was blocked by the flames so police broke a window, pulling the man to safety, Castillo said.
“He looked at us and said, 'Man, I thought I was a goner. Thank you guys,'” Castillo said. “It feels good to know you helped someone, especially in an incident like this."
Police say the man suffered minor injuries. Neighbors say they saw him back at his trailer a couple of days after the fire.
His coworkers at the Home Depot have set up a GoFundMe to help him with expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/f/paul-lost-everything-in-fire-lets-help
WATCH:
On 12/27/2024, GBPD officers responded to a report of a trailer on fire. Once on scene, citizens advised there was someone inside the trailer. Our officer's jumped into action to rescue a man trapped in his trailer as flames blocked his exit. Thanks to swift action by… pic.twitter.com/Qqv4RPq9I5
— Grover Beach Police (@Grover_BeachPD) December 30, 2024
