Telephone Worker Rescues Fire Victims
By: Web Producer
Updated: June 2, 2007
Seven people staying in the Duplex on South Lombard Avenue raced for the doors after flames and thick smoke filled the house. 3 children and an adult made it out safely, and 2 adults and a 2 year old were trapped inside.
Thats when John Stewart, and AT&T technician working near by, got involved. Stewart heard cries for help coming from inside, and rushed to pull a man out of the window. That man has been identified as Ernie Bell. Stewart then helped Ernie Bell pull 2 year old DJ Bell from the house, but the smoke was too intense to go inside to look for Cheronda Bell.
"It got real hot out front, too hot to go back in and try to do anything. I mean, you want to... but I couldnt," said Stewart.
Fire crews pulled Cheronda Bell from the house. As of late Friday, she was undergoing surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Ernest and DJ Bell both were expected to be transported to Vanderbilt as well.
Investigators believe a child playing with a lighter on a couch started the blaze.
