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Local woman dies after house fire
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| ----Fire on Barney Fields Road----A Tuesday morning fire claimed the life of Barney Fields Road resident Peggy Walker. (Staff photo/MATT AIKEN) |
By Matt Aiken
Peggy Walker died from burns sustained in an early morning fire last week despite the heroic efforts of a neighbor who pulled her from the blaze.
It was just after 3 a.m. on Tuesday when Dewayne Pinion was roused from his bed by his wife who was awakened by the sound of nearby barking dogs.
The 31-year-old looked out the window of his Barney Fields Road home to find that his neighbor's house was engulfed in flame.
Unbeknownst to Pinion, a wheelchair-bound Walker was sitting on the porch of her home apparently unable to navigate her way down the stairs.
As a result, she remained trapped on the porch as it went up in flames around her.
Pinion called 911 and then ran across the street to assist.
“To be honest I didn't know if the wheelchair was stuck, I didn't know what, but she wasn't able to get off the porch,” he said.
Pinion jumped onto the burning porch and lifted her from the wheel chair.
“It took a couple of tries but I managed to pull her off the wheelchair and off the porch,” he said.
During the rescue he suffered second degree burns to his arms and face. Meanwhile, the 60 year old Walker had third degree burns on a reported 80 percent of her body.
Despite the ordeal, Pinion noted that Walker never seemed to be in any pain.
“Which isn't normal for what was going on,” he said. “So I'm pretty sure that she was in shock at that point.”
Deputy Michael Herndon and Deputy Justin Ferguson of the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene as Pinion was wrapping Walker in a blanket in an attempt to snuff out lingering flames.
The men attempted to move Walker farther from the growing house fire but were afraid of further injuring her. As a result they tried in vain to put the nearby flames out with fire extinguishers. When that didn't work they moved her approximately 15 yards into the yard.
By the time the Lumpkin County Fire Department arrived on the scene Walker's home was already 75 percent involved in flame, said Fire Chief Ed Eggert.
She was rushed to Chestatee Regional Hospital and then to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta by ambulance. All helicopter rescue flights were grounded due to reported inclement weather.
“That would have saved us a lot of time,” said Eggert.
Walker died later that day.
A resulting fire report has listed the cause of the blaze as unknown, while noting that “careless smoking” can not be entirely ruled out.
Walker, an Alabama native, passed away only three days after her husband Douglas died of a sudden illness.
He was a native of Lumpkin County.
Pinion said he never really knew the Walkers, but would occasionally exchange neighborly waves with them.
However, on Monday, Eggert commended Pinion for being much more than the average neighbor.
“We are grateful for his bravery,” he said.
It was just after 3 a.m. on Tuesday when Dewayne Pinion was roused from his bed by his wife who was awakened by the sound of nearby barking dogs.
The 31-year-old looked out the window of his Barney Fields Road home to find that his neighbor's house was engulfed in flame.
Unbeknownst to Pinion, a wheelchair-bound Walker was sitting on the porch of her home apparently unable to navigate her way down the stairs.
As a result, she remained trapped on the porch as it went up in flames around her.
Pinion called 911 and then ran across the street to assist.
“To be honest I didn't know if the wheelchair was stuck, I didn't know what, but she wasn't able to get off the porch,” he said.
Pinion jumped onto the burning porch and lifted her from the wheel chair.
“It took a couple of tries but I managed to pull her off the wheelchair and off the porch,” he said.
During the rescue he suffered second degree burns to his arms and face. Meanwhile, the 60 year old Walker had third degree burns on a reported 80 percent of her body.
Despite the ordeal, Pinion noted that Walker never seemed to be in any pain.
“Which isn't normal for what was going on,” he said. “So I'm pretty sure that she was in shock at that point.”
Deputy Michael Herndon and Deputy Justin Ferguson of the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene as Pinion was wrapping Walker in a blanket in an attempt to snuff out lingering flames.
The men attempted to move Walker farther from the growing house fire but were afraid of further injuring her. As a result they tried in vain to put the nearby flames out with fire extinguishers. When that didn't work they moved her approximately 15 yards into the yard.
By the time the Lumpkin County Fire Department arrived on the scene Walker's home was already 75 percent involved in flame, said Fire Chief Ed Eggert.
She was rushed to Chestatee Regional Hospital and then to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta by ambulance. All helicopter rescue flights were grounded due to reported inclement weather.
“That would have saved us a lot of time,” said Eggert.
Walker died later that day.
A resulting fire report has listed the cause of the blaze as unknown, while noting that “careless smoking” can not be entirely ruled out.
Walker, an Alabama native, passed away only three days after her husband Douglas died of a sudden illness.
He was a native of Lumpkin County.
Pinion said he never really knew the Walkers, but would occasionally exchange neighborly waves with them.
However, on Monday, Eggert commended Pinion for being much more than the average neighbor.
“We are grateful for his bravery,” he said.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of thedahloneganugget.com.
chad wrote on Apr 24, 2008 8:49 AM:
" Its great to know that there are still great people in the world! "
Teresa Doles wrote on Apr 24, 2008 11:39 AM:
" Thank you so much for all of your effort in trying to save Mrs. Walker. It took a lot of courage to fight off flames to try and save someone! We need more wonderful people in our community! All Wheel-Chair bound individuals in our county should have a ramp. We need more outreach programs for our elderly and disabled in our county. Had Mrs. Walker had a ramp the outcome may have been a happy one! "
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libby wrote on Apr 23, 2008 4:03 PM: