Family and neighbors save bedridden grandmother from burning Detroit home

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A little girl was holding her 3-year-old sibling and screaming for help as she knocked on a neighbor’s door on Hampshire Street in Detroit at five this morning. Her smart actions to get help were the first of many heroic actions Friday morning.

 “When I opened the door, the little girl was frantic,” said Al Bazemore. “She couldn’t speak. She just pointed. That is when I looked and saw the smoke.”

Bazemore and his wife Erma soon learned the little girl’s home was on fire. Her mom and siblings were out, but her bedridden grandmother was trapped inside.

Erma took the children into her home, away from the terrifying scene.

“I tried to go in, and the smoke knocked me down,” said Al Bazemore.

He didn’t give up.  He took a moment to breathe, then went back in with the mother to save the grandmother. It took several tries, but he found her and dragged her out. As he got onto the porch he collapsed with the grandmother on top of him.

“The son was yelling. His mom had passed out and was still in there,” said Erma Bazemore. “The boy then rushed in and saved his mom.”

All of this happened in less than five minutes, and in the end there were only minor injuries.

Firefighters put out the flames, and are currently investigating the cause.