Tre Williams’ decision to take a stroll instead of taking the bus from college on May 2 turned out to be a blessing.
The 20-year-old student at Anne Arundel Community College saw a burning house, and his instincts took over.
“I didn’t really think much. I just, it was just an instinct. So I jumped over the fence and I opened the door and saw that her arm was tangled up, so I just took her off of it, and that’s when she just kept saying, ‘What’s happening? What’s happening?’ I grabbed her, put her arm around my shoulder and I just kept saying, ‘We’ve got to go,” he told WBAL TV
The house belonged to 80-year-old Gail Johnston.
Both Williams and Johnston made it safe without major injuries.
Williams has been called a hero, with Johnston’s daughter, Carleen Perez, thanking him for saving the life of her ailing mother.
“Thankfully, a young person like that, going up there and taking the initiative to bang on the door and get somebody out, he’s just, he’s a brave, brave soul, because the house was on fire. So we appreciated that because we love our mom, and we were just so happy that Tré did that,” Perez said.
The fire was termed accidental by the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
