'We heard this big, huge bang': Neighbors save woman from house explosion
John Dryja said he immediately ran into his back yard and saw the destruction of the home next door.
John Dryja said he immediately ran into his back yard and saw the destruction of the home next door.
John Dryja said he immediately ran into his back yard and saw the destruction of the home next door.
Neighbors in a community in Rogers, Arkansas, are being thanked for their quick thinking and actions that helped to save a life after a home explosion.
The call came in just before 9 p.m. Saturday. Officials say a structure had collapsed.
"I was just getting done eating and we heard this big, huge bang," John Dryja said.
Dryja immediately ran into his back yard and saw the destruction of the home next door. He said he didn’t think twice about running in and saving his neighbor of more than 15 years.
"She was taking a shower and she was crouched down and her feet were all burnt up and stuff," Dryja said.
He said another person also ran inside to help the woman escape.
"They weren’t thinking about themselves, and that’s the type of people that they are. And for the most part, that’s everyone in this neighborhood," Harold Shriver, another neighbor, said.
Shriver turned off the propane tank while his wife and others took care of the victim.
"She was in shock and I just held her hand and told her I was with her the whole entire time," Valerie Papada said.
As for Dryja, who was the first on the scene, he said this is what neighbors do for each other.
"Someone needs help, so that’s what I did, it was that simple. It didn’t take no thinking," he said.
Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said propane is a potential cause, but it is under investigation.
Jenkins said the victim was airlifted and has significant burns.