Good Samaritan comes to the rescue after house explosion in Wissinoming
PHILADELPHIA -- A man was rushed to the hospital after an explosion on Tuesday afternoon in the Wissinoming section of Philadelphia.
It ripped off the front of a home in the 6300 block of Algard Street around 1:20 p.m.
A 61-year-old man was trapped inside after the blast. A good Samaritan, Rakym Dyer, heard the man screaming and ran to help him.
"There was fire on the steps, so I had to put the fire out on the steps first. Then I had to put him out - when I went upstairs he was on fire - so I put him out with the extinguisher and I put him on my shoulder and I came downstairs," Dyer said.
Also on the scene was a man who stared in shock at his childhood home, which was reduced to a pile of debris in the front yard.
That man, who only identified himself as Michael, said his brother Steven was the 61-year-old man who was rushed to the hospital.
"That just doesn't happen every day. That was my parents' house. I grew up in that house," he said.
He said his home never had any issues such as gas leaks.
Officials say there was a second person evaluated and treated on the scene for smoke inhalation. The 61-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital is in stable condition.
"I would want someone to help me or help somebody I know, so that's how I look at it," Dyer said. "Here's someone screaming and hollering, saying they're dying, and you want to help them."
It took an hour to get the fire under control and officials are still investigating the cause of the blast.
