Suffolk News-Herald

Early Wednesday evening, Thelma Faulk was relaxing in her East Washington Street home, trying to escape the hot weather, unaware that a far more dangerous type of heat was lurking nearby.

&uot;I was laying down, and someone came and knocked on the door,&uot; she said. &uot;Then everything happened at once.&uot;

Her visitor was coming to warn her that the carport and storage room to the left of her house was on fire. Faulk’s fire alarm went off as she walked toward the door, and another visitor whisked her outside.

&uot;I was driving past, and I saw the smoke, so I turned around and parked to see if anyone was inside,&uot; said Portia Johnson-Wilson, who along with Dickie Carey and Mike Hicks, both of Eure Rentals, stopped to help Faulk out of her house. &uot;I went to see if any people or any pets were inside, and made sure that (Faulk) was breathing alright.&uot;

As one of the men moved Faulk’s car away from the flames, the other called the fire department, and Johnson-Wilson helped Faulk into her van and drove her away from the fire.

&uot;I wanted to get her away from the heat and into some cool air,&uot; Johnson-Wilson said.

At 4:40 p.m., Fire Stations #1 (Market Street) and #7 (White Marsh Road) responded to the fire, which was under control by just after 5 p.m. Early investigations indicated that it was accidental, although the cause was unknown at press time.

&uot;I was thankful (to the people that helped me),&uot; said Faulk, who has home insurance. &uot;I might have tried to run back inside and get something. It could have been a lot worse.&uot;