CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Suffolk firefighter who was off duty helped stop a house fire from spreading in a Chesapeake neighborhood, and fire investigators say his quick thinking kept the damage to a minimum.
Joshua Baker was at home when a neighbor knocked on his door to alert him to the fire.
"I went to the door, and she said, hey their house is on fire, it clicked immediately i said i have my gear in the garage," Baker said.
Baker suited up and ran across the street to the burning home, where the family had already evacuated to the front yard.
"I just completed turned out I went full pants, threw the hood on, threw the jacket on threw the helmet on and I took off down the street," Baker said.
The homeowner told Baker the fire was in the room above the garage. Baker entered the home without a mask and found the first floor was clear before heading upstairs.
"I went up the stairs and slowly cracked that second door and when i did you can tell it was banked down probably to about your knees," Baker said.
Baker then fought the fire from outside, using a ladder to reach the second floor and a garden hose to extinguish the flames.
"We went to the window, the window was there. We opened the screen up and just kinda started spraying water on it. I guess we hit a good portion of it enough to knock it down," Baker said.
According to a press release, when Chesapeake Fire Department crews arrived, they found the fire had already been extinguished and worked to clear debris and smoke from the house.
Baker said he gives credit to the Chesapeake Fire Department and the community around him.
"We've got a great group of people who live here in the neighborhood i think everyone got everyone's back they just knew in that instance okay this is the problem, we have somebody who can fix that problem, or might know a little bit better avenue," Baker said.
No one was hurt. The neighbors who live in the home have found another place to stay. Chesapeake Fire Department says the fire was accidental.
