Neighbor’s quick action saves Crosby Township family from deck fire
By Rachel Whelan
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CROSBY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WLWT) — A Crosby Township family of four says they’re alive today because of their neighbor’s fast action when flames broke out on their back deck.
Homeowner Mandy Hampton says the fire started around 5:30 Thursday morning while she, her husband, and their two young boys were still asleep inside. Security video shows the flames smoldering for nearly half an hour before her next-door neighbors happened to get up to feed their baby.
“They saw a weird orange glow in their window and said, ‘Oh my gosh, their house is on fire!’” Hampton recalled.
That’s when neighbor Ben Braun grabbed a sprinkler, jumped the fence, and started dousing the flames. His wife called Mandy to get her family out while he and Hampton’s husband worked to knock down the fire—just minutes before firefighters arrived.
“Well, I didn’t put pants on, so that’s everyone’s favorite part,” Braun joked.
Investigators believe the fire started with a pool pump vacuum and spread to other devices with lithium batteries. It destroyed a couch and melted part of the home’s siding, but Hampton says it could have been far worse if not for Braun.
“I can’t overstate how important it is to have good relationships with the people around you, and how great it is to feel loved by your neighbors enough that they’re willing to risk their life to help,” Hampton said.
Braun downplayed the label of hero: “I don’t see it as that. I was just trying to help.”
But Hampton insists his courage is the reason her family is safe. “In a world today where you hear so many bad things… There are still good people,” she said. “I’m so grateful. So grateful for him.”
Fire officials said if the Hamptons had a traditional wooden deck instead of a composite one, the fire could have spread even faster.
In a twist of fate, Braun once considered becoming a firefighter—he even took a semester of fire science in college—though he eventually chose another path.
This time, his instincts kicked in at exactly the right moment.
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