Passerby runs into burning home to alert sleeping family during blaze

A Good Samaritan rushed into a house fire in Chelmsford Friday morning to alert sleeping residents of the blaze and help them safely escape.

Donald Brier was driving in his vehicle when he spotted smoke coming from the burning home on Quigley Avenue around 6 a.m., 7NEWS reported.

“Anybody would have done the same thing. That’s what I hope, anyway. I turned the corner and saw the smoke and, you know, what are you going to do?” Briar told the news outlet. “You can drive by, or you can stop and do what you should do.”

According to the report, Brier ran into the multi-family home to wake up sleeping residents, then rushed to his car to get a crowbar to pry open the building’s doors and windows to help residents escape. 

“I just kept yelling and then people started coming out,” he said. 

Video shared by local news outlets shows the front of the home fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours but were able to extinguish the fire by midmorning. However, the Chelmsford Fire Chief told 7NEWS the home was unstable and would be taken down. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Tom Riccio told 7NEWS that his family lived in the home with tenants, and although nobody was hurt, the residents are devastated to have lost their home. 

“My mother had called me in hysterics, saying ‘the house is on fire,’ and I was in disbelief. I was distraught. It’s just a total loss — I don’t even know what to say. They have nothing now,” Riccio told the news outlet, adding that Brier was a hero for his bravery.

“I wouldn’t advise running into a fire, but, I mean, if you can help get somebody out, do what you can. It’s the right thing to do,” said Brier.

Morgan Rousseau

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.

Want to leave a comment?

Create an Account Or sign in to your account

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

To comment, please verify your email address

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com