TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - Officials say a woman in Tampa barely escaped a fire emergency with her life thanks to a good Samaritan’s efforts.
Deborah Paxton said she was driving her boyfriend to work near Saint Petersburg on Wednesday, unaware her the back of her truck was up in flames.
Then, a biker started waving and screaming at her, trying to get her attention.
“‘Your car is on fire!’ And kept pointing up,” Deborah said. “I look up and there’s black smoke and flames shooting up.”
She pulled over and bailed out of her truck with her boyfriend and her dog, Willow.
“That smoke started coming into the cab, the windows were cracking, and within seconds,” she said.
According to first responders, if they didn’t get out when they did, they might not have made it.
“We wouldn’t have made it out in time,” she said. “I was scared it was going to blow up.”
Paxton took to Facebook to try and find the good Samaritan who flagged her town.
“I can’t even express how thankful I am for this guy because I couldn’t be sitting here today if it weren’t for him getting our attention,” she said. “So if you are out there, from the bottom of our hearts and my dog’s, we thank you.”
Her post has already received a lot of traction. Some in the community believe they know who the man is, and Deborah says she would like to meet him in person.
“I’d give him a big hug,” she said.
No official word was given as to what caused the truck to burst into flames. Paxton believes someone flicked a cigarette out the window, catching fire to the boxes and carpet she was hauling.
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