Trapped in burning apartment, bedridden woman and her husband feared death—until a Samaritan answered their prayers
A simple 'yes' on our end could make us an angel in disguise, answering the prayers of another. Arthur Dyson, resident of Knox Hill Senior Citizens Apartments on the 700 block of Jasper Street SE, Washington, was with his bedridden wife when the building caught fire, NBC News 4 Washington revealed. The entire floor was filled with smoke and things were quickly taking a fatal turn. The elderly man was worried but refused to leave his wife’s side, fearing that she might not make it out with him. While he was terrified of the outcome, a passerby walked into the burning building with hope which ended up changing the expected course of events.
Dyson knew it would be difficult for him to get his wife out alone. There was no one to rush to their aid and the man decided to stay put by his wife, doing everything in his power to help. The first responders were on their way, but time was of the essence and it was a frightening worry as to whether they’d be on time to the elderly, helpless couple. A special police officer, Zackary Battle, happened to be driving on the same street and saw the smoke coming from the building. He immediately knew he had to intervene. His thoughtfulness pushed him to question whether there were people inside and he rushed into the building.
As he made his way up the floors, he heard Dyson’s frantic cry for help. "I heard a guy, you know. He was calling and he said, 'I need help. My wife. My wife is stuck. My wife is bedridden; she's stuck. I need help; I need help," the officer recalled. Without further ado, he rushed in the direction from which the noise was coming and amid the black fumes, he saw Dyson and his bedridden wife. “I was like, 'Bro, we gotta get her out of here,’” he remarked. Battle already had one mission in mind — to save the couple. “You know, I'd rather her be in pain than not have her life today,” he said. He was able to escort the couple and began making his way with them to the exit. Fortunately, he came across firefighters who were making their way in. They took control of the situation and guided the trio out to the ambulance.
The rest of the residents were eventually escorted to safety. Only one was critically injured due to the fire. Dyson owed his unending gratitude to the officer who played an instrumental role in saving him and his wife. “I saw the fire jumping out the window, I said, 'Lord, have mercy. How am I going to get her out?” the elderly man recalled, adding that if it weren’t for Battle, they would have suffered brutal consequences or might not have even made it out. He recalled the officer’s determination to rescue them. “He said, 'C'mon, man. We gotta get her out,” Dyson recounted. There is temporary assistance being provided to the residents until the complex is completely restored. Dyson and his wife will forever remember the man’s impromptu kindness that saved their lives.