Quick action by neighbor helps save Galt home, dogs from fire
GALT — When Galt resident Kristin McDonnell stepped out on her back patio to turn the water off Monday morning, she quickly noticed something amiss. A loud noise made her look towards her neighbor’s house on the 200 block of Wren Street.
“It sounded like a hot air balloon. Then I saw flames come up,” McDonnell said.
At first she thought it was her closest neighbor’s house on fire, but she quickly realized the flames were coming from the next house down. “I was panicked,” she said. McDonnell grabbed her cell phone so she could call 911, and ran out the front door. On the street she ran into two neighborhood boys, who had also noticed the flames.
As the flames were licking the outside wall of the home, McDonnell and the boys looked for a way to access the backyard. She made it inside.
McDonnell began searching for a water hose to try to put the fire out, and eventually found it on the other side of the patio. The flames had spread all along the wall and were spreading upwards.
“I just started spraying,” she said. “You have to do what you have to do.”
In the meantime, the boys had set their sights on the family’s six dogs, which were still inside the house. They were able to gain access, and were able to get them out of the house.
Homeowner Robert Jimenez was at work when he received a call from his neighbor that his house was on fire. Jimenez was working in Kirkwood, so he immediately called his girlfriend, Helen Hickman, to go over to the house and get the dogs out.
She immediately left the diner she owns in Acampo and rushed home. But by the time she reached the house, the Cosumnes Fire Department was already there, along with Pacific Gas & Electric.
In the chaotic situation, Hickman’s focus was on the dogs — Jimenez has two large dogs and she has four small ones.
“The first thing I did was ask where the dogs were,” Hickman said. Someone quickly reassured her they were all safe in McDonnell’s backyard just down the street.
She had only met her neighbors in passing before. Now they had saved their house from burning down and rescued their beloved pets. “I really appreciate them,” she said.
“I can’t ask for better neighbors,” Jimenez agrees. “If it wasn’t for them, this home would have been gone. We’re very lucky to have such great neighbors to help.”
He’s especially thankful for McDonnell’s quick thinking and action. “We’re so lucky to have them as neighbors.” Without them, he said, it could have been a lot worse.
As for Kristin, in addition to being hailed as a hero, she has gained some temporary new family members. While Jimenez and Hickman sort out the damage and handle all the paperwork and phone calls, the dogs have found new friends in the McDonnell’s two dogs, and were happily lounging in their dog seats and surrounding Kristin when she came out to check on them on Tuesday. Only a dove that momentarily landed on the fence sent them into a brief furry of activity.
“They are comfortable here, and are having fun!” she said. She is impressed how they have taken the sudden change in stride. “When we were out here last night playing cards, they were all at our feet, like family.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. What matters more is the fortunate outcome, in large parts thanks to McDonnell.
“The Lord put me in the right place at the right time!” she said.