Neighbors Rescue Elderly Tulsa Woman From Burning Home

An elderly woman who uses a wheelchair is alive, thanks to neighbors who pulled her from her burning home near 11th and 145th East Avenue.

Naomi Peugh said, even with smoke filling her home and the fire growing inside, she never feared for her life. She said it was all in God's hands and He had the right people close by to help her and her dog, Lucy, make it to safety.

Smoke and fire came from Peugh's home and signaled the alarm in her neighborhood.

Her son, who lives in the neighborhood, first spotted the fire and called 911. Then, people next door and down the street helped her escape.

"It makes me feel very, so very small, that people care that much," Peugh said.

She is confined to a wheelchair and spends a lot of time in bed; which is where her neighbors found her.

"Two men came in and started helping me get on a robe and stuff to help me out," she said.

One of her rescuers was Gary Lowry who happened to get off work early. He said when he saw the smoke he knew what he had to do.

“As long as she's OK, that's all that matters,” Lowry said. “She didn't want to get up; she was concerned about her dog so I just didn't give her the choice."

His choice to move her came right on time as fire crews got to the home just minutes later; by then the smoke and fire had grown.

Peugh was safely out, but her dog Lucy wasn't, so another neighbor, Chris Gehrke, braved the flames to find her.

“The dog was there on the end of the bed and saw me coming towards it and took off, so I just went after it," he said.

The dog soon got out of the house on her own and reunited with her owner.

Peugh has lived in the house since 1963, but will live with family in the meantime. She said her stuff is gone, but Lucy and she are OK.

She said she has a group of special people to thank for that.

“Good neighbors. You can't find them everyplace, praise God I've got them here," Peugh said.

Tulsa fire Captain Stan May commended the neighbor for his efforts, saying he did the right thing by checking the temperature on the doors to the house to make sure they were safe before going in.

May said he loves seeing neighbors take care of neighbors.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.