Monday, March 06, 2000
Reluctant hero saves friend
Man pulls his neighbor from blaze
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Dale Freeman (left) saved friend Jimmie Lawson (right) from his burning apartment.
(Gary Landers photo)
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In about 30 seconds, Dale Freeman went from watching election coverage on CNN to frantically swinging a two-by-four at his Avondale neighbor's apartment window.
He had smelled smoke coming from the apartment below and run outside.
Reaching through broken glass, black smoke and intense heat, Mr. Freeman rescued longtime friend and mentor Jimmie Lawson late Saturday.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Cincinnati fire officials estimated damage at $20,000.
Sunday, neighbors in the 3100 block of Reading Road said Mr. Freeman was a lifesaver.
Mr. Freeman, who called the 53-year-old Mr. Lawson “a big brother to me,” said he wants no part of hero talk.
Mr. Lawson's brother does.
“I want to thank him for saving my brother's life,” said Bernard Lawson, who lives elsewhere in the building and assisted his dazed brother to safety. “He was spitting out black stuff. We could have been going to the morgue last night instead of the hospital.”
Jimmie Lawson was treated at University Hospital for cuts, abrasions and smoke inhalation.
Mr. Freeman, 44, and Bernard Lawson suspect that Jimmie Lawson, who was trying to get his pants on when Mr. Freeman rescued him, fell asleep smoking.
“It was so dark, that smoke,” Mr. Freeman said. “Things happened so fast.”
The fire was contained to Mr. Lawson's apartment, but several upstairs units, including Mr. Freeman's, had smoke damage. The Red Cross was assisting those displaced by the fire in the four-story, 15-unit, brick building, including Jimmie Lawson. All his possessions were burned.
For Mr. Freeman, responding was “something I would want somebody to do for me” and a payback of sorts.
Jimmie Lawson — a veteran plumber — helped Mr. Freeman learn the trade and establish himself as a utility maintenance man. Mr. Freeman now works for M&M Metals.
“I've known him 30 years, I've done work for him,” Mr. Freeman said, holding the board he used to smash Mr. Lawson's window. “To be honest, I thought he was dead. ...
“Do I consider myself a hero?” he said, squinting in the afternoon sun. “Not really.”
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