CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The man who rescued his wheelchair-bound neighbor from a house fire that broke out on Davis Drive early Wednesday was honored by Clarksville’s fire chief Friday morning.
Clarksville Fire Chief Freddie Montgomery, alongside the firefighters who responded that day, presented Anthony Hinderliter with a certificate honoring his bravery.
“Your actions helped get Mr. Harris to safety,” Montgomery told Hinderliter on Friday. “Thank you for your swift actions on that day. It helped us do our job because we knew Mr. Harris was safe and crews could go in and extinguish the fire.”
Anthony Hinderliter rescued his 60-year-old neighbor, Charles Harris, and pushed his wheelchair to safety. At Friday’s ceremony, he thanked the Clarksville Fire Rescue for their work in the community.
“From law enforcement, to fire rescue and EMS, you guys are the real heroes. You never know anything that’s going to happen to you guys when you wake up for work in the morning. God bless you guys,” Hinderliter told the firefighters on Friday.
The fire
Just after midnight on April 6, Harris said he accidentally dropped a cigar on a blanket.
“My blanket just shot up like a wildfire, and there was smoke coming out of the door and everything,” Harris told Clarksville Now.
His room was quickly engulfed and he tried to escape.
“My place was on fire and I was trying to get out, and when I got to the doorway, well I tripped and fell. I pulled myself – my wheelchair was sitting right outside the door and I pulled it toward me and was able to get in it, and then I got stuck,” Harris said.
He said the door to his residence was locked, so he started screaming. Hinderliter happened to be in his car nearby playing guitar, and he heard Harris.
“So he came running and figured out (the door) was locked, and then we got stuck in the mud right outside and he pulled me from the doorway there to safety out by the street,” Harris said.
Hinderliter told Clarksville Now that he was just happy to help.
“God put me in the right place at the right time, and God delivered,” Hinderliter told Clarksville Now.
American Red Cross offers aid
CFR responded and put the fire out, according to Assistant Chief Michael Rios. The home, however, was a total loss.
Harris said Thursday he was staying at a local motel, but he was fearful that he didn’t have enough funds to cover an additional nights’ stay.
Pamela Holz, executive director of the Tennessee River Chapter of the American Red Cross, said that the organization has stepped in, and that Harris has a case manager who was looking into ways to help. They have since also secured Harris enough funds to cover a few more nights at the hotel.
Casey Williams contributed to this reporting.