BILLINGS — A quiet Saturday evening turned into a life-threatening situation for one Billings woman who is grateful to be alive after being rescued from a burning duplex on the city's South Side.
See the video for this story below:
The fire broke out just after 6:30 p.m. Saturday at 2720 Fourth Avenue South, where one unit sustained heavy fire damage and severe smoke damage and the adjacent unit sustained minor smoke damage. Three people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, and one cat died in the fire.
Related: Duplex fire in Billings sends multiple people to hospital
Rose Lakel, who lived in the adjacent unit from where the blaze started, was preparing to take a nap when she heard someone pounding on her door.
“Somebody was rapping on my door, and I didn't know who it was, so I wasn't going to answer,” said Lakel. “I thought it was my son trying to play a prank.”
She hesitated to open the door, but the pounds did not stop, and only grew louder and more urgent.
“I was still reluctant, but I opened the door, and all I could see was a big, thick, black, gray wall of smoke, and I heard him screaming, 'Your house is on fire, get out,'" recalled Lakel.
She was unaware of the nearby fire or who was at her door but only knew that she had to get out quickly.
'He wasn't dressed like a firefighter, so I was trying to figure out who he was,” said Lakel. "Just a random stranger, he's seeing smoke, and he's like a linebacker trying to take down my door."
That stranger was Joe Adams, who was driving by when he spotted the fire and jumped into action. Although he declined an on-camera interview, Adams told MTN over the phone that he did not think twice before rushing to help and just wanted to ensure everyone made it out safely.
Lakel credits Adams with saving her life.
“My stuff is only stuff, I got out with my life because of that man, because I would have fallen asleep and not known,” said Lakel. "The way that the apartments are attached, I wouldn't have been able to get out the front door."
Lakel was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and returned home an hour later, where she got the chance to thank Adams in person.
"My son brought me back here and that man was here, and I was able to meet him and thank him, and his words to me were, 'I'm not a weirdo, I promise.' He goes, 'I just wanted to help you get out,' and he did,” said Lakel.
Billings Police are still investigating the fire’s cause, but witnesses told MTN they saw a man running from the unit just before flames erupted. One person was arrested and booked into the Yellowstone County Detention Facility Sunday on an arson charge.
"I'm not angry at the young man next door that started the fire. He made a bad decision, and I hope he heals from this,” said Lakel.
Despite the damage and loss, Lakel will never forget Adams’ selfless act.
“It just shows me that God will show up in many forms, and it really shows me that that man is an angel," said Lakel. "Very grateful for him. He's a hero.”
