A Massachusetts man who lost his wife and two young children in a fire 20 years ago is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a neighbor from her burning home.Mark Collum said he heard a woman screaming for help at about 5 a.m. Sunday. He ran outside and noticed his neighbor's house was on fire, which prompted him to call 911."I heard 'Fire! Fire!' I just threw my clothes on and just, out of reaction, saw her in the kitchen milling around," Collum said. "There were flames billowing out the back, smoke filling up the kitchen."He then ran into the home and was able to get his neighbor, Deb Shanahan, out of the fire. Shanahan was hurt, but her injuries are not believed to be serious."I just grabbed her and just took her out," Collum said. "I had a little smoke in my lungs, same with her, so we just kind of took her outside and things worked out well. Thank God."In January 2001, Collum's wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, 4-year-old Lindsay and 5-month-old Carly, died after a fire ripped through their Ipswich home.Lisa Collum and Lindsay Collum were trapped on the third floor of the house by flames. Lisa Collum dropped Carly Collum out of a third-floor window in an attempt to save her daughter's life. The infant was flown to New England Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.Several other people in the house, including relatives of the Collum family, were able to escape the fire without serious injury.Mark Collum, who is a commercial fisherman, was not home at the time of the fire."It still resonates in me. But I'm glad things worked out today," he said. "I'm just glad I was here and did the right thing. That's all. Hopefully, Deb's alright and everything worked out well today, so I'm kind of glad."Fire official said Shanahan will recover from her injuries.The cause of the fire in Shanahan's home remains under investigation.Watch the video above for the full story.
A Massachusetts man who lost his wife and two young children in a fire 20 years ago is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a neighbor from her burning home.
Mark Collum said he heard a woman screaming for help at about 5 a.m. Sunday. He ran outside and noticed his neighbor's house was on fire, which prompted him to call 911.
"I heard 'Fire! Fire!' I just threw my clothes on and just, out of reaction, saw her in the kitchen milling around," Collum said. "There were flames billowing out the back, smoke filling up the kitchen."
He then ran into the home and was able to get his neighbor, Deb Shanahan, out of the fire. Shanahan was hurt, but her injuries are not believed to be serious.
"I just grabbed her and just took her out," Collum said. "I had a little smoke in my lungs, same with her, so we just kind of took her outside and things worked out well. Thank God."
In January 2001, Collum's wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, 4-year-old Lindsay and 5-month-old Carly, died after a fire ripped through their Ipswich home.
Lisa Collum and Lindsay Collum were trapped on the third floor of the house by flames. Lisa Collum dropped Carly Collum out of a third-floor window in an attempt to save her daughter's life. The infant was flown to New England Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Several other people in the house, including relatives of the Collum family, were able to escape the fire without serious injury.
Mark Collum, who is a commercial fisherman, was not home at the time of the fire.
"It still resonates in me. But I'm glad things worked out today," he said. "I'm just glad I was here and did the right thing. That's all. Hopefully, Deb's alright and everything worked out well today, so I'm kind of glad."
Fire official said Shanahan will recover from her injuries.
The cause of the fire in Shanahan's home remains under investigation.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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