By Judy Le
CLINTON, Mo. — A morning fire could’ve been fatal if it weren’t for one man. Just before 11 a.m. on Thursday, a Clinton man became a hero when he saved a family from a burning house.
While Timothy Murphy administered a driving test, the student driver noticed something a little off.
“He said there’s a lot of dust in the road. I looked up and said it’s not dust, looks a lot like smoke to me,” said Murphy, a driver examiner for the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Murphy jumped out and headed toward the burning house. He noticed an elderly man and two women were still inside, so Murphy dashed in and helped them out.
“She informed me that her blind dog was upstairs and I said, ‘let’s not worry about the dog, let’s get you all out of the house,’” said Murphy.
Investigators say the fire started on the second floor. Someone was probably smoking in bed, which caused the fire.
“The fire started in between the wall and the outside window,” said Mark Manuel with the Clinton Fire Department
The family had five dogs; three were saved. The bond between pet and owner was very strong.
“One of them ran in, she ran in, and I had to run back in to get her back out of the house,” Murphy said.
Besides the animals, the three people living in the house made it out safe. Although one was treated for burns at the hospital. The family is staying with relatives right now. The Red Cross was also called in to help.