Laurie Williams explains to Fire Inspector Ron Penix how she saw a diesel truck on fire in an alley off of South Garfield, alerted neighbors and started dousing the fire with a neighbors garden hose. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Homeless woman's quick action prevents fire from spreading

A homeless woman likely prevented a vehicle fire from spreading to a nearby building Tuesday by grabbing a garden hose and spraying the structure until firefighters arrived.

The fire started in a big rig off an alley near Hilborn and Washington streets Tuesday afternoon and was threatening to spread to a nearby garage, said Battalion Chief Ron Penix.

Laurie Williams, 48, happened to be collecting cans to recycle when she turned down the alley and saw flames coming from the diesel truck. She asked an onlooker to call 911 but the woman didn't speak English, Williams said. A second woman also didn't understand, but Williams found a third person who called for help.

Lodi fire crews put out a deisel truck that caught on fire Tuesday afternoon in an alley off of South Garfield. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

In the meantime, Williams grabbed a nearby garden hose. The blaze was too strong to be fought with the hose, but Williams was worried about a nearby garage and a shed.

"Everybody thought I was trying to put the fire out, but I was just trying to keep it from spreading," she said.

Firefighters got close to the area, saw the smoke and asked for more crews. The fire had just reached a garage and was threatening a shed when firefighters soon put it out.

"It's a good thing (Williams) was walking by," Penix said. "She couldn't get the fire out but she was able to keep the neighbor's garage from burning."

The cause of the fire remained under investigation, Penix said.

First published: Wednesday, March 14, 2007