Boston Housing Authority Laborer Rescues Resident From A Car Fire At Peabody Apartments

Press release from the Boston Housing Authority:

November 1, 2021

BHA laborer Eddie McGuire was doing maintenance inside a BHA unit at Peabody when he smelled smoke. Looking out the window, he saw that a car was on fire and quickly ran outside to help. When Eddie got to the car, he realized it wasn’t just a small fire, but the entire engine of the car was completely engulfed, and there was a man trapped inside the car.

Eddie’s instincts took over and he started smashing the window with an old stand-up lamp. After trying to break open the window multiple times, as the window wouldn’t break open, he ran over to passenger side where he and two other strangers pulled the 90-year-old resident out through the window.

“It was just a reaction. I knew he needed help,” Eddie said.

The resident had a medical emergency that caused a car accident in the parking lot and started the fire. According to first responders, the resident would not have survived if he’d remained in the car for another two minutes.

After the initial shock, the resident has fully recovered. He was released from the hospital just 90 minutes after the fire.

This press release was produced by the Boston Housing Authority. The views expressed here are the author’s own.