Couple alerted by good Samaritans when front porch of Norwalk home catches fire
NORWALK, Connecticut (WABC) -- The front porch of a home in Norwalk, Connecticut went up in flames, but it could have been much worse if not for a group of men playing soccer nearby that jumped into action when they saw the fire.
The good Samaritans alerted the homeowners inside and grabbed a garden hose to get water on the home before first responders arrived.
"I've never seen that much fire in my life, for that one spot," said homeowner Rita Freitag.
That one spot was Rita and Bruce Freitag's front porch, which is now a charred mess, heavily damaged by the fire.
It happened at 8:30 p.m. on Monday when some lights went out inside the home on Woodward Avenue. At first Bruce checked his electrical panel.
"And as I walked back outside here, I noticed a glow, and also saw from the window guys running to the house," he said.
Those guys were a group of men who were playing soccer in the park across the street. They ran over and started to fight the fire, dousing the flames with a garden hose. The neighbor next door did the same with his hose.
"If it wasn't for the guys playing soccer across the street, the whole house could've went up, and who knows what would have happened," Bruce Freitag said.
Rita, who had been asleep, was initially blocked by the smoke and flames. She ran outside via the back door.
The Norwalk couple is thankful the damage wasn't worse, and more importantly, that they weren't hurt.
Rita Freitag calls the good Samaritans her "angels."
"It hurts to think that we might not be here, because we didn't know that this was going on, until I heard screaming, 'fire, fire!' So many voices," she said.
"They could have just kept on with what they were doing, but thankfully they came over," Bruce Freitag said.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
