Assonet Family Responds to Hero Who Saved Them From a House Fire
On Friday, April 29, disaster struck a home in Assonet.
While a family was inside, a fire had sparked on the far side of the home and no one had a clue.
Out of the blue, a mystery man ran up to the house after seeing the fire and started banging on the door to alert anyone inside. He could have kept driving past, but the smoke emitting from the house didn't sit well with him and he sprung into action.
For the past week, the family's only regret was that they never got a chance to truly thank the man amid the chaos.
Well, I'm here to tell you that the search is over and the man has been found.
"Hello, my name is Raymond Reed I was the guy who called 911 and alerted the family of the fire in Freetown.
I work in Middleboro and got out early. I was headed home to Assonet to get a basketball to play with my son when he got out of school. As I was headed down RT 79 I noticed the flames. I saw two workers on the railroad who hadn't noticed and saw two cars in the driveway.
I pulled over and dialed 911. The Fire dept was dispatched.
I ran over to the flames first hoping not to see anyone. I didn't and started shouting to get someone's attention. Then I went and banged on the front door. A woman came to the door looking confused. I said, "Your house is on fire!" Then everything happened so fast. I remember helping with a bunch of dogs and holding a baby at one point.
I am just so happy to hear that everyone is ok. The Fire department and police got there so fast. Kudos to them!
-Ray"
Talk about a positive way to start a day! Immediately, I relayed this message and Reed's phone number (with permission) to the Harrington family in Assonet and this was their response to him collectively.
"Dear Raymond,
As a family, we wanted to reach out and thank you for your courage that saved our family and home. Without you, the results from the fire could have been a lot worse. We are forever grateful for you and your heroic actions. Thanks to you everyone was able to make it out safely, including the dogs. We will forever be thankful for you.
God bless,
The Harrington Family"
As terrible as a house fire can be, it's with good faith and knowledge that no one was injured during the panic and was able to get out alive. Homes can be rebuilt, people can't.
Reed is proof that there are still plenty of good people out there and the rapid response of the Freetown first responders was simply the icing on a display of inspiring humanity.