Neighbors make potentially life-saving rescue in Toledo fire turned house explosion

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Toledo Fire and Rescue responded to a house fire on Vosper Ct. Friday evening. That fire quickly sparked an explosion causing major damage to the south Toledo home. The people inside weren’t hurt though, thanks to some incredibly brave neighbors.

Kim Murray and Johna Rushlow tell 13abc they were just hanging out across the street when all of a sudden they saw what they describe as “a large glow” above their neighbor’s home.

“It was scary to go into the house with black smoke, but when firemen come into your school and they teach you to get low that’s exactly what I did,” said Murray. “I just kept hollering to Keith and I went around the corner and he was coming towards me and I just grabbed him and I said we need to leave.”

They say the explosion actually happened right as they were trying to enter the home.

“We were at the door, pounding on the door, and boom,” said Murray. “Her husband is yelling get away, but we didn’t. We knew people were in there and so that’s why we just kept persisting. We were flight attendants so we don’t leave anybody behind.”

According to Battalion Chief Todd Besteda for Toledo Fire, the explosion was caused by a spare propane tank in the backyard that caught on fire.

Kim and Johna say once the damaged home was empty, they moved over to the houses next door.

“Trying to get the neighbors out of their house because we didn’t know how severe it was,” said Rushlow.

Besteda tells 13abc that the neighboring homes were not impacted by the fire or the explosion.

Now that the fire is put out though, a family and a neighborhood are left to pick up the remaining pieces.

“They’re in shock. Family live close so they came to help them,” said Rushlow. “Just trying to take in what happened.”

The actual cause of the fire is still under invetigation according to Besteda.

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