THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 14, 1996 TAG: 9605140287
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
One minute Chris Wright was casually tossing morning newspapers onto customers' porches. The next he was banging on their doors, warning them that their houses were on fire.
``I was just trying to basically do the good thing,'' said Wright, 15. ``I never expected to see a fire.''
Neighbors in Willoughby Spit said they could have lost more than just sleep if not for Wright's warning.
``This guy literally saved a bunch of people's lives,'' said Judy Brown, whose house was threatened by the fire. ``The damage is very nominal because of him.''
It happened just after 3 a.m. Monday in the 500 block of W. Ocean View Ave. Chris and his father were helping out Chris' mom by delivering Virginian-Pilot newspapers when Chris spotted smoke spewing from a second-floor balcony.
``I thought it was a cookout at first,'' he said. ``I started banging on doors.''
He also rang door bells and yelled ``Fire!'' as loud and as often as he could. He then climbed a column to the second-floor balcony to bang on the resident's door.
Meanwhile, his father honked the car horn.
Next door, Rusty Brown was awakened by the banging and yelling. He awakened his wife, Judy.
She and Rusty didn't know then the knocker's identity, but when they realized their house was filling with smoke they called 911.
They later found out the modern-day Paul Revere was their paper carrier.
``He dropped everything and took care of something he considered more important,'' Judy Brown said.
The fire, she said, began in a barbecue on her next-door neighbor's balcony.
Some of the still-smoldering embers had blown into a nearby kitty litter box and set it aflame. Soon the entire balcony was on fire, she said.
The morning wind blew fireballs the size of basketballs down the narrow walkway between the building, torching the foundation on Brown's building, she said.
The commotion brought neighbors outside. Several people took care of Brown's dogs and cats, she said. ``Everybody was busy, nobody was just standing,'' she said.
Three or four residents grabbed fire extinguishers while Brown and her husband sprayed the fire with two garden hoses.
Firefighters arrived a few minutes later and brought the blaze under control.
No one was hurt.
Chris disappeared in the commotion, Brown said. ``He wasn't around for anybody to thank,'' she said. ``If he had not alerted us, who knows if lives would have been lost?''
Chris and his mom, Peggy, returned to the neighborhood Monday afternoon at the residents' request.
``It feels weird, different,'' Chris said. ``It feels pretty good.''
NORFOLK - One minute Chris Wright was casually tossing morning newspapers onto customers' porches. The next he was banging on their doors, warning them that their houses were on fire.
``I was just trying to basically do the good thing,'' said Wright, 15. ``I never expected to see a fire.''
Neighbors in Willoughby Spit said they could have lost more than just sleep if not for Wright's warning.
``This guy literally saved a bunch of people's lives,'' said Judy Brown, whose house was threatened by the fire. ``The damage is very nominal because of him.''
It happened just after 3 a.m. Monday in the 500 block of W. Ocean View Ave. Chris and his father were helping out Chris' mom by delivering Virginian-Pilot newspapers when Chris spotted smoke spewing from a second-floor balcony.
``I thought it was a cookout at first,'' he said. ``I started banging on doors.''
He also rang door bells and yelled ``Fire!'' as loud and as often as he could. He then climbed a column to the second-floor balcony to bang on the resident's door.
Meanwhile, his father honked the car horn.
Next door, Rusty Brown was awakened by the banging and yelling. He awakened his wife, Judy.
She and Rusty didn't know then the knocker's identity, but when they realized their house was filling with smoke they called 911. They later found out the modern-day Paul Revere was their paper carrier.
``He dropped everything and took care of something he considered more important,'' Judy Brown said.
The fire, she said, began in a barbecue on her next-door neighbor's balcony. Some of the still-smoldering embers had blown into a nearby kitty litter box and set it aflame. Soon the entire balcony was on fire, she said.
The morning wind blew fireballs the size of basketballs down the narrow walkway between the building, torching the foundation on Brown's building, she said.
The commotion brought neighbors outside. Several people took care of Brown's dogs and cats, she said. ``Everybody was busy, nobody was just standing,'' she said.
Three or four residents grabbed fire extinguishers while Brown and her husband sprayed the fire with two garden hoses. Firefighters arrived a few minutes later and brought the blaze under control.
No one was hurt.
Chris disappeared in the commotion, Brown said. ``He wasn't around for anybody to thank,'' she said. ``If he had not alerted us, who knows if lives would have been lost?''
Chris and his mom, Peggy, returned to the neighborhood Monday afternoon at the residents' request. ``I was just trying to basically do the good thing,'' Chris said.
``It feels weird, different. It feels pretty good.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
VICKI CRONIS/The Viriginian-Pilot
Residents credit Chris Wright, 15, with saving their lives. ``I was
just trying to basically do the good thing,'' Chris said.
KEYWORDS: FIRES HERO by CNB