x
Breaking News
More () »

Charlotte neighbors brave flames to pull woman in wheelchair from burning apartment

The Charlotte Fire Department said the fire sparked from unattended cooking. A little girl saw the flames and alerted her parents.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There was little time to think before Larinzell Robinson and Darius McVay rushed into a burning home.

"I didn't think," Robinson said. "I just went in on instinct."

The two sprang into action after Robinson's daughter came running to tell them that their neighbor's apartment was on fire.

"I was a little bit scared, but my mom had told me to go get my dad. So, I ran to go get Darius and my dad," Zoey Robinson, a second-grader at Allenbrook Elementary School, said.

Robinson brought a fire extinguisher but soon realized, the flames were too much. They had to get their neighbor out immediately.

"She's committed to the wheelchair, so I was just trying to get her out of there," Robinson said. "I was just like, 'God be with me going here.' But I felt like the devil was trying to take us out by going into the fire."

Charlotte Fire officials report the blaze at Brooktree Drive in west Charlotte was accidental and sparked from an unattended stove. The home sustained $12,000 worth of damage.

But thanks to heroic neighbors, the life inside is still intact.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The video below contains explicit language. 

"I don't have I have no words to really say how I feel," Robinson said. "I was kind of glad that I saved a life."

"I'm just happy that we saved her," McVay said.

For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app.  

Fire officials said the occupant and one of the rescuers were evaluated on the scene by Mecklenburg EMS (Medic).

Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter

ALSO ON WCNC: NoDa Company Store cancels NYE celebration amid COVID-19 concerns

ALSO ON WCNC: Newlywed Charlotte couple in quarantine amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts  

All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere. Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter     

Before You Leave, Check This Out