A quick thinking homeowner and his neighbors acted fast to help put out a fire at a West Omaha house on Monday.
The home near 162nd and Parker streets erupted into flames the day after a portable fire pit had been in use. Alerted by neighbors, the homeowner evacuated his family before seeing the danger.
While others called 911, the homeowner and other bystanders used garden hoses to try and knock down the fire as it spread to the roof. “It was moving up the side of the house pretty fast and I wanted to make sure they were out of the house. I grabbed this hose and just started helping out. Think it helped? Oh yeah, I think so," witness Matt Knott tells WOWT 6 News.
Omaha firefighters arrived on the scene in minutes to relieve the homeowner and neighbors as the fire spread to the roof, which was too high for garden hoses to hit.
No official word on a cause but 6 News reports that a portable fire pit was sitting next to the garage.