ATKINSON, Maine (WABI/Gray News) – Three teenage boys from Maine on their way home from New Year’s Eve celebrations sprang into action to rescue a couple from a devastating fire.
Robert and Kaleb Weymouth, 16 and 14, respectively, and Colby Simmons, 16, were on their way home around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday when they spotted a massive barn fire that had spread to a farmhouse, WABI reports.
The teenagers not only called 911 to report the fire but also sprang into action to save a couple who were asleep inside the house.
“I was like, ‘We got to go in quick.’ Then, we knocked on the door – nothing – and we had to open the door and wake them up,” Simmons said. “They had no idea that their house was burning, and we got them up. They put clothes on, and then, we got them out.”
The teens describe witnessing the barn falling in, dodging falling pieces of wood and hearing loud bangs and propane tanks hissing as they got the couple to safety.
“The wood was falling off on the ground, almost right next to us,” Kaleb Weymouth said.
Twelve fire departments from Piscataquis and Penobscot counties battled the blaze until 8 a.m., only to get called back at 11 a.m. due to a rekindling in the attic.
“We were able to salvage some jewelry, some pictures and a few personal items, but most of the home was a total loss,” said Dover-Foxcroft Fire Chief Brian Gaudet.
Gaudet says heroic acts by bystanders like Simmons and the Weymouths help responding departments.
“It changes our response knowing everybody’s out of the building,” he said.
For the three teens, going face-to-face with the flames was well worth the risk if it meant saving lives.
“That could’ve ended really badly if someone wasn’t there,” Robert Weymouth said. “‘Cause it took a while for everyone else to get here.”
”I’d want someone to do that for me, too, if my house was burning,” Kaleb Weymouth said.
Gaudet says this is the second time in his career that someone has entered an active house fire to save those inside.
“It’s very heroic, and I wish there were more people in the world like these guys,” he said.
Authorities say the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office will be on scene Thursday to investigate the cause of the fire.
One firefighter received a minor injury, but otherwise, everyone is safe.
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