PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — A home in Port Orchard went up in flames overnight. A Good Samaritan was driving through Port Orchard and saw the flames. Richard Coleman, 37, a U.S. Navy officer, drove out of his way to take a look and saw firefighters had not arrived.
He pounded on the front door of the home to alert anyone inside to get out.
People staying in the home were asleep and didn't know the garage and the back of the home were on fire.
"As our time in the Navy, we're trained to run towards the fire, not away from the fire. I knew what needed to be done so I went and beat on the door until I got somebody out, " said Richard Coleman, who is a Nuclear Machinist Mate assigned to start on the U.S.S. Nimitz on Wednesday. "If there's a fire on board the ship, we can't call 911 to get help so everybody has to come together and everybody has to fight the fire."
The fire was caught on camera by a neighbor.
Flames and smoke were seen from across town as the fire was burning along Kitsap Street, just steps away from the Port Orchard City Hall.
The fire started at 1:30 a.m. and Danielle Rimbert, who lives nearby, said she had been awakened by what sounded like an explosion.
"I heard a huge crash of glass and I thought there was a domestic situation or a drunk from a bar downtown acting crazy," said Rimbert.
When she went out onto her porch, she saw a house in her neighborhood burning down.
"The heat was so strong, I could feel it from my place, and I am at least a block and a half away," said Rimbert.
About 40 firefighters from various agencies were called to the two-alarm blaze.
Fire officials with South Kitsap Fire Rescue said it looked as if the fire had started near the garage and quickly spread inside the home.
"He started pounding on the door," said Deputy Chief Guy Dalrymple, speaking about Richard Coleman. "The three people inside had a guardian angel, someone driving by at the right time, and took action."
According to fire officials, the home that caught fire was being used as a bed-and-breakfast.
Deputy Chief Dalrymple said the property did not appear to have smoke detectors, which may be a violation of city codes.
"Once the fire got inside, (the smoke detector) will alert the occupants," said Dalrymple. "That is if they were in there and they were operating."
The fire also damaged the garage of the house next door. No one was hurt.
Coleman moved from South Carolina to Port Orchard on Saturday.
When asked what it feels like to be called a hero, he said, "Anybody who says it doesn't feel good, I think would be telling a lie. But I don't think I did anything heroic. I saw what needed to be done and I went and did it."
An investigation into the cause of the blaze is underway.